


The Great 2020 Frozen AU

by MKZ4345



Series: TAZ Balance Frozen Movies AU [1]
Category: Frozen (Disney Movies), The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Frozen (Disney Movies) Fusion, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Betrayal, F/M, Gen, Love at First Sight, M/M, Magic, Minor Character Death, Panic Attacks, Sibling Bonding, Snow and Ice, Temporary Amnesia, Temporary Character Death, also spot the taz grad reference, spot the princess diaries reference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:35:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27484369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MKZ4345/pseuds/MKZ4345
Summary: You remember that movie where the sisters- the one sister has magic powers and the other can't remember or else something will happen (how come they never explain what will happen?) and then the uh- the- the older sister accidentally does magic in front of a whole party and then she sings a very popular song with children and then something else happens and her sister freezes and then unfreezes and then the stupid badguy gets put in jail and they live happily ever after? This is- it's that one. It's the movie Frozen. But TAZ Balance.
Relationships: Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Greg Grimaldis/Lup, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Series: TAZ Balance Frozen Movies AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2008399
Comments: 13
Kudos: 14





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this very suddenly, after watching Frozen and Frozen 2 for the first time in a while. I sat down and wrote half of it, then wrote the other half of it over a couple weeks. It follows the plot of Frozen mostly, but differs here and there for the sake of hopefully making it make more sense. The next big fic, TAZ Balance Frozen 2, will take a while because I need to rewrite the whole fucking movie before I will be happy enough with the plot to rewrite it as a TAZ Balance AU. Anyway, pls enjoy my TAZ Balance Frozen AU.

The ballroom was full of snow and giggles. The two troublemakers had created a winter wonderland and were sledding down their little bunny hills, squealing excitedly as they played in the snow. Taako made a new slope for them and Lup rushed to grab the sled and go down it. Taako was slower than her, and she started sledding down it before him.

“Lup wait!” Taako called, finally reaching the top of the hill.

He slid down after her as she was flung into the air, screaming with laughter before realizing she was falling. Taako barely created a pile of snow in time to catch her, but Lup seemed unbothered when she got up.

“Let’s do that again!” she said excitedly, tugging the sled back toward the hill.

“I don’t know, that was almost bad,” Taako argued weakly, letting her pull him with.

“Oh please,” Lup scoffed, brushing hair out of her face. “You wouldn’t let me fall, I knew that!”

Taako nodded, still worried about his ability to keep them both safe.

They climbed onto the sled together and Lup pushed them along. They were going much faster than Lup had before, Taako realized too late. The slope sent them flying farther than Lup had gone before too, and they flew through the air off of the sled. Lup laughed and laughed, but she was headed for the hardwood floor of the ballroom instead of the pile of snow she’d landed in earlier. Taako shot out a blast of ice to try and make her a new landing spot, but missed and hit her in the head. Taako landed in the snow he’d made and Lup crashed to the ground unconscious.

As he scrambled out of the snow and ran to his sister, Taako started crying and shouting for their parents. They ran down almost immediately, as if they had been waiting for something to go wrong. Their father rushed to Lup and picked her up, checking her for injuries, while their mother picked Taako up and held him close while he sobbed out what had happened.

They all went to the Royal Physician, waking him with worried apologies. He got up right away and set up a cot for Lup right there in his room.

As he started to look her over, a lock of her hair started to turn white.

“What happened?” Merle asked, looking to the king and queen. “Tell me exactly.”

Reluctantly, Taako stepped forward and told him everything, still sniffling and blinking tears out of his eyes. 

“I see,” Merle said grimly. He looked back at Lup. “I think she may have hit her head pretty hard, she may have a concussion. But this magic… It will complicate things.”

“What can we do?” the king asked, desperate to find a way to help his daughter.

“Well, her mind is malleable since she’s so young…” Merle was talking mostly to himself, muttering possible ways to go about this. “I have no way of knowing what kind of damage this magic might do to her, but we might be able to stop it in its tracks by erasing it from her memory.”

“What?” the queen said, eyes widening. “Erase it from her memory? What will that do?”

“I can replace the memories of Taako using magic with just memories of them playing in the snow together. This might stop the magic from damaging her brain.” Merle sighed. “If I’m honest, I don’t know anything about Taako’s magic. I don’t know if this will fix it or just keep it from getting worse. In my experience, though, if you remove the memories of magic, the magic goes with them.”

“Do it then,” the king ordered, sitting up straighter. “Anything to save her.”

Taako tucked himself into his mother’s side as Merle worked. The only other magic user in the kingdom, a secret, just like Taako. Merle used his magic to heal, but it seemed like Taako could only use his to hurt. 


	2. Isolation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako tries everything he can to lock all his emotions in a box.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters for this are all pre-written in advance! I will be publishing two chapters every week, around Sunday or Monday! I look forward to seeing you around if I can keep your attention!

“I have a surprise for you, Taako,” his father said as he came into the room. Taako looked up from the book he had been studying.

“A surprise? Like a gift?” Taako asked, getting up. It had only been a year since Lup’s mind had been altered. It seemed like it had worked. She woke up and asked what had happened, that she didn’t remember anything. Their mother told her that she had an accident while sledding with Taako and that they weren’t allowed to sled at night anymore. After that, she acted normal. Her hair was still white in one spot in the middle of her bangs, a stark reminder to Taako to never use his powers around her again.

“Yes, a gift,” his father said with a smile. He knelt down and took out a small box. When he opened it, Taako saw a small pair of gloves. “These will help you control your powers when you’re anxious.”

Taako marveled at them as his father put them on his small hands. 

“Merle enchanted the inside so they would never freeze. This way, you can keep your powers hidden even easier than before.”

Taako flexed his hands inside the gloves. To test them out, he held a hand out at the fire in the fireplace and tried to shoot it with ice. Nothing happened and he felt the blast get defused within the glove.

“Cool!” Taako exclaimed, feeling immense relief. He would be able to hold Lup’s hands again! He would be able to play with her again!

“I know that your powers can be scary, but from now on we’re going to work on controlling them, okay?” his father asked, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. “So that you can continue playing with your sister, and so that you can be king one day. No one can know about your powers.”

Taako nodded, his small face extremely serious suddenly. “I understand.”

His father smiled. “Good.”

* * *

“Taaaaakooo!” Lup called, skipping down the hall toward her brother’s room. “Koko! I come bearing gifts!”

They were fourteen now. As was customary, that meant that Taako had to start learning how to be a king one day. And also how to tie his own tie and tie his own shoes, and how to ride a horse without falling off. Lup knew that he was stressed out more than ever, with all that plus their schooling adding more and more obligations and responsibilities to their plates. So, she was set on making him relax sometimes. They had started to grow apart ever since that one sledding accident. Lup didn’t understand why it had been such a big deal to him, but she tried to remind him it hadn’t been his fault. It never seemed to work, but she wasn’t giving up. 

“Taako, knock knock!” Lup called through the door, tapping her knuckles on the wood lightly. “I stole a bunch of chocolate from the kitchen, let’s take a break!”

“I’m busy,” Taako called back, sounding annoyed.

“Come on, Koko, you have to take a break at some point, you’ve been at this all day!” Lup tried to open the door but found it locked. She stepped back in shock. “… Wh-why is the door locked?”

“Because you always barge in even when I tell you not to!” Taako shouted back. A hushed voice followed his and he went quiet. “… I’m sorry Lulu, but I’m just not feeling up to stolen chocolate right now… I’m having a bad day.”

“A bad day that can’t be made better by seeing your favorite sister?” Lup tried not to sound hurt, because she was, incredibly so. What was with him lately? Were all teenage boys like this? What happened to them against the world?

“I’m just…” Taako hesitated. She heard him cross the room and unlock the door, cracking it just enough to look at her. He had started gaining height on her so he looked down just barely. “I’m sorry Lup. I’m just feeling really aggravated today and I don’t want to take it out on you. I just want to spend some time by myself…”

Lup wanted to point out that she knew someone was in there with him, that he never liked being alone, that even when he had bad days they would spend them together because that’s what twins did for each other. But she didn’t. Whatever was going on, she wasn’t allowed to know about it. Whatever, it must be a king thing. So, she smiled and said, “Okay.”

* * *

  
By the time they were sixteen, Lup was used to being alone in the castle and the very small amount of house staff that was left. She wasn’t allowed to go outside unless they were going riding, or on a family trip to the lake. A family trip that would conveniently leave out Taako often. 

She was sat in one of the big halls of paintings, munching on a snack and looking up at the paintings. She made up stories about how each one was related to the other, how they all were connected and the characters knew each other and would visit each other. How none of them ever had to be alone.

Sighing, she stood up from the bench and started walking back toward her room. She had a tutoring session soon, so she had to get dressed and ready for it. On the way she ran into a maid that was supposed to help her get dressed.

“Oh, Lup honey, something’s come up in the kitchen that I have to help with,” the maid said, looking terribly sorry. “I can take the wrapper of that candy with me and I’ll get back up here as soon as possible, okay?”

Lup didn’t even have time to respond as the maid took her candy wrapper and ran in the direction of the kitchens. Something bad must’ve happened, she thought. 

On her way to her own room, she stopped outside Taako’s door and considered knocking to see how he was doing. She lifted her hand, closed her fingers in a fist, and froze. Her hand hovered there for a long while, thinking, considering, reasoning. She heard papers shuffle inside his room and her fist moved half an inch. She heard Taako sigh, and then the creak of his windowsill. He liked to sit there, Lup remembered. They used to sit there together.

She finally knocked, lightly and hesitantly.

“Taako?” she called gently. 

“Yeah?” he responded. Lup tried not to feel upset.

“Can I come in? Today has been so boring. I have tutoring soon and my maid had to go help in the kitchen so I have to wait for her to come back.”

Taako was silent a short while, then she heard him crossing the room and unlocking his door.

It was like a whole new world inside his room. They’d been drifting apart so much that he had things she didn’t even recognize in here now. They’d used to share the room.

“Sure,” he said calmly, but the tightness around his mouth didn’t leave.

Lup walked in and looked around. There were star charts on the walls, pages and pages of calculations on his desk, three huge books about royal responsibilities, and curtains printed with stars hung around his triangular window. Clothes spilled out of the closet, and she realized he must dress himself. He didn’t have a butler for that? Odd.

Taako himself was odd now. He stood in the middle of the room, rigid and official-looking. He had his gloved hands held carefully behind his back. His expression was one of practiced calm. He was unrecognizable from the brother she’d grown up with.

She didn’t know what to say, at a loss for what to say to her own twin brother for the first time in her life.

“It’s good to see you,” she finally said, wrenching the sentence out of her chest.

“It’s good to see you too,” Taako said with a measured tone. “How’s tutoring going?”

Small talk, she realized with a pang of hurt through her heart. “It’s going well. I just started the next level of world history.”

“Mm.” Taako hummed, remembering taking the class himself. “I remember that one.”

“Maybe if I need the help,” Lup started, heart speeding up at the idea of an excuse to make him spend time with her. “You could help me study?”

“I’m far too busy,” Taako answered immediately, as if he was prepared for the suggestion. “Too much history of politics and political theory this year. Sorry.”

The tone he used wasn’t sorry at all, and it stabbed Lup in the chest. She felt the barbs all over him, carefully positioned to keep her away and to keep her from trying again. She felt angry.

“Winter festival is coming up,” she said, looking outside the window and away from her unrecognizable brother. “Maybe we can convince mom and dad to take us with this time. We all get the time off to go, but we’re never allowed.”

“For a good reason,” Taako says, turning to watch her. “Mother and father go to keep up rapport with their subjects. The only reason we would go would be to introduce ourselves, but there’s no reason for-”

Lup slammed her hand on the windowsill, silencing him. “We could go to have fun. We could go to spend time together. We could go to act like we’re still a happy family.”

Taako made no move to comfort her as tears slid down her cheeks.

“What happened to you?” Lup demanded, spinning around to stare at him. He still looked so carefully composed as she started to cry in front of him. “Why are you like this?!”

He said nothing, a cold statue that just watched her.

“We used to be best friends, Taako! We spent every day together, we stole things from mom and dad together, we would go sledding together all the time!”

Taako barely flinched, and Lup used it as an excuse.

“And why do you still feel responsible for that?!” She shouted. “Every time I bring it up you act like it’s your fault I got a concussion! We were six, Taako! We didn’t even know what that word meant! You couldn’t have predicted it was gonna happen and you couldn’t have done anything about it! Please, stop being so- so cold toward me!”

Taako took a step back. His hands were at his sides now and Lup saw them shaking. She reached out to grab his hand but he jerked away like he’d been shocked.

“Get out of my room.”

Lup blinked at him, tears still blurring her vision. “What?”

“Get out of my room!” Taako shouted, and Lup flinched away.

Cold, sharp, and distant. Lup realized that her brother was already too far away to help. She certainly couldn’t help him if he believed her to be annoying and rude and loud and- fine, she decided. She stepped past him, running out of his room toward her own, fresh tears streaming down her face.

She slammed her door loud enough to rattle the frame, and she angrily hoped Taako heard it. She laid in bed, sobbing into her pillow, ignoring the knock of her maid when she finally came to help her change. She wasn’t going to tutoring today. 

What had happened to her brother?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a reminder, the next two chapters will be posted next week, probably Sunday the 15th of November. Please feel free to comment and tell me what you think so far!


	3. Tragedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup just wants to be there for her brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second batch of updates! Thank you guys for reading, I hope you're excited for the rest of the story! Feel free to comment thoughts, feelings, typos I missed, whatever! Let me know what you think of the story so far! I really appreciate every single person who stops to read my fics, so thank you again for reading!

At eighteen, their parents left on a diplomatic journey across the ocean. They would be gone for five days, they were told. Their mother gave them both her signature crushing hugs, first to Taako, then to Lup. Their father told Taako to leave the governing to the Royal Adviser for now, and told Lup to keep up on her studies while they were away.

As their parents left and they watched from the dock, Taako and Lup stood a palpable three feet apart. Taako had gotten no less cold over the last two years, and Lup had tried not to take it personally. As she had grown and shared her frustrations with the maids of the house, they helped her realize that he had an immense amount of pressure on him from all sides. One day he would have to be king, whenever that might come, which meant that he had to be ready to govern at a moment’s notice should something happen while the king and queen were away. He also still had schooling to go through, which Lup knew personally was difficult on its own. She couldn’t imagine the stress of having to do schoolwork and also learn how to run a kingdom. On top of that, Lup learned from the maids that he was struggling a lot with himself, he was incredibly anxious most of the time. Lup didn’t want to be an added weight on his shoulders, so she had started trying to lighten that load wherever she could. Be that stealing him snacks to shove under his door while he was working or sneaking into his room at night to finish some homework for him, Lup was helping however she could. 

The ocean air eased Lup’s anxiety about their parent’s being gone for the first time in their lives, but she knew Taako was more high strung than ever right now. So, she did what she had learned to do. Distract.

“What should we have the house make for dinner tonight?” Lup asked suddenly, turning to walk back to the castle with him. Guards flanked them on either side. One of them, Magnus, had become one of Lup’s best friends within the castle. He was a joy to talk to.

“What?” Taako looked over at her.

“I mean, mom and dad are away, that means we get to decide, right?” Lup smiled at him. Not her obnoxious smile that she would’ve used had they been alone. No, she’d learned Taako cared quite a bit about seeming professional to the kingdom and not seeming overly emotional.

“Oh, I suppose…” Taako looked back ahead of them, now thinking about dinner and not about how scared he was to be without his safety net. “Duck sounds wonderful to me, what do you think?”

“Duck is good,” Lup said lightly, smiling to herself. “Maybe you pick dinner, I pick dessert?”

“That would be fine,” he responded, a small smile on his face. Lup counted it as a win.

* * *

Six days after their parents left, they got the official news. Their ship had sunk. A horrible storm was the most likely cause. The whole kingdom closed up, everyone wore black, the flags were replaced with black ones for the time being. The castle closed up too for the day, but funeral plans were already underway.

The funeral itself was slow and agonizing. Lup and Taako stood apart in front of their parents’ gravestones, the traditional music causing them both to tremble from silently crying. The kingdom sobbed behind them openly, children wailed, mothers and fathers held their babies close, the elderly sniffled and dabbed their eyes, the Royal Guard knelt in respect but even their shoulders shook with the force of their sadness. Merle stood near the twins, watching them solemnly and wishing them no new tragedy in their lives. 

Afterword, Taako locked himself in his room and Lup stayed behind to make sure everyone got home alright. In the foyer, Magnus hugged her unprovoked, and it was all she could do not to lose her composure. His crushing hug was so much like her mother’s.

When everything had died down, Lup found herself outside Taako’s room, face tear-stained. She knocked lightly.

“Koko?” she called brokenly. She could hear him quietly sobbing. “Please, let me in. I-it’s only us now… We have to look out for each other…”

There was no movement, and Lup sighed. She sat down on the ground with her back against the door.

“Koko, I know you’re scared, I know you’re overwhelmed, and I know I couldn’t possibly understand the pressure you must be feeling right now. But I promise you, I will never leave your side. If you ever need someone to help you, even if you just need me to sit out here with you, I’ll be there.” Lup wiped her face, sniffling. She looked down at the black rose she’d taken off the lapel of her dress. “I don’t wanna lose you too, Koko.”

“I d-don’t wanna l-lose you either, Lulu…” Taako’s broken reply came with shuddering breath and it sent Lup back into a wave of tears. “I’m s-sorry…”

“It’s okay,” she reassured, trembling against her erratic breathing. “You don’t have to let me in, but just know that I’m here, and I always will be, okay?”

“Y-yeah…” Taako sniffled, rubbing his gloved hands over his face. Inside, his room was full of ice, frozen over from the unstoppable pain and sadness he felt for his parents and his sister, the loss they’d both suffered. His gloves couldn’t keep this in, and he hated that he couldn’t hold his sister through this. He was terrified of what she must really think of him. 

The last thing he wanted to do was push her further away, to force her out of his life completely. He felt that way before they’d lost their parents. But now it was more true than ever that they needed each other. Somehow he would have to find a way to be there for her too, he’d spent too much time trying to keep her safe from him. He had to start taking some risks so that she didn’t feel totally abandoned. That scared him more than anything, because of the chance that he could hurt her again. But he had to try.


	4. Coronation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako staves off an anxiety attack, Lup runs into a hot guy, and a secret is revealed.

All the windows were open, the balcony doors too. Lup ran down the hall, her heels in her hand. Maids dove out of the way of her. She slid down the curved banister of the main staircase, face alight with joy. Magnus, having just finished making sure the house was clear, was there just in time to catch her.

“Whoa!” he shouted, catching her awkwardly. He gently set her down. “Careful, Your Highness! Can’t have you messing up your hair or ripping your dress before the coronation!”

“Oh whatever!” Lup laughed, straightening herself out. “Not like I’m the one being crowned. I’m just so excited! We’re going to have an actual party!”

“It is certainly exciting. I can’t remember the last time there was a party like this,” Magnus mused, thinking back. “Pretty sure the last time was when your father was crowned, and I was only a child back then so I didn’t even get to go.”

“Well, you’re definitely invited!” Lup smiled at him, putting her heels back on.

“I have to work, Princess,” Magnus said, though he smiled. “But thank you anyway.”

“Oh boo!” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Take the night off! You’re my best friend, Maggie, you deserve to enjoy the party too!”

“Alright alright,” Magnus laughed. “I suppose I can’t argue with a member of the Royal Family on this one.”

“No you can’t!” Lup smiled at him.

“So what had you in such a hurry?” Magnus asked, walking with her toward the huge ornate front doors to the palace. 

“I just wanted to be there when they open the gates and let people in!” Lup was still bouncing with excitement as they walked outside together. “It’s been so long, people haven’t been allowed in the castle for, like, ever!”

“It certainly is a grand occasion.” Magnus smiled at her.

The guards were in position, all they needed was Taako’s order and the people of Arendelle would be allowed into the castle and palace. They would all be escorted to the Royal Chapel where Taako would be crowned, then they would be let back into the palace for the party. The common folk would enjoy a lavish party on the first floor, while the foreign diplomats and dignitaries would enjoy a lavish party on the second floor to get to know the new king.

Inside the palace, Taako watched the gates from his window. He steadied himself with a breath, smoothing a hand down the front of his robes. He looked himself over in the mirror. Perfect. He kept his face calm and tried to mimic his father’s kingly expression, the one that was in every painting of him. The moment he thought too long about his father, his expression faltered, and he cursed to himself.

Slumping onto the side of his bed, Taako steadied himself again.

“It’s only for today,” he muttered to himself. “Only today, then tomorrow you can hole yourself up in the Royal Office and get work done… Just put on a show, don’t let them see how anxious you are… Only today…”

He imagined his parents saying these words and it comforted him. He knew he would have to remove his gloves for the coronation, something he had already argued with the priest about. There was no getting around it, so he’d spent the last week practicing and keeping himself calm while holding an apple and candlestick to simulate the orb and scepter that he would have to hold during the coronation. At first he’d frozen them, but the more he practiced, the less and less the ice got. If he could just make sure to hold them for as little time as possible…

Once he’d properly steeled himself, he stood from his bed. He glanced at himself in the mirror and was pleasantly surprised to find he looked the most like his father he ever had. He stepped out of his room, opening the door with a flourish. The staff around him stopped to bow as he walked from his room to the front hall. Once at the top of the stairs, he cleared his throat and the house staff stopped to listen.

“Tell the guards to open the gates,” Taako said, his voice commanding and strong, just like his father had taught him.

The butlers nodded and walked swiftly out the open front doors.

Outside, Lup and Magnus turned to see the two butlers approaching the gates. Lup started bouncing on her feet again, her smile wider than ever.

“By order of the future King of Arendelle, open the gates!” each butler called up to the guards simultaneously.

As the gates began to swing open, Lup grabbed Magnus’s arm and shook it, her excitement just barely being held in. She started to take a step toward the now open gates, but Magnus held her shoulder.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I want to go into town so badly!” Lup whined, stomping her foot. “I haven’t been to town in so long, I bet it looks so different! Please?”

Magnus was powerless against her pleading eyes and the jut of her lip. He loved dogs and those were puppy-dog eyes if he’d ever seen them.

“Please, please, please!” she whined at him. “You can come with to protect me! Come on, just for a little while before the coronation!”

“Okay, alright,” Magnus sighed, crumbling easily.

“Yes!” She exclaimed, grabbing his hand and running out the gate through the crowd of waiting citizens. They stopped and looked on at her, realizing she was the Princess. Others didn’t recognize her, not having seen her since she was a child. Now, at twenty one, she looked far different than she did as a child. Some citizens of the kingdom had seen her at eighteen, when they’d seen their parents off to their deaths and then at the funeral. Some had caught glimpses of her through the palace windows, waving to them as they went about their lives.

The town had changed so much since the last time Lup had been there. New shops stood where old ones once were, and the town had expanded substantially as well. More people than ever lived in the kingdom and their lives were still so incredibly interesting to Lup.

“Look at all these houses!” Lup squealed, skipping down the street with Magnus. “Do you live in one of these?”

“Not one of these, but I did just help build my house a few years back,” Magnus answered, laughing at her excitement over such a mundane thing. 

“You built your own house?” Lup stopped and turned around to stare at him.

“Well, I built it with my wife, Julia,” Magnus answered, stopping too. “Her father was a master carpenter and taught her and I everything we know.”

“That’s incredible, Magnus!” Lup exclaimed, gesturing widely with her hands. “I can’t even imagine how complicated and difficult that must be!”

“It sure was a project,” Magnus said, laughing once again at her reaction. “Maybe someday you can see it.”

“That would be so fun!” 

Lup turned them back toward town and toward the docks. There, foreign diplomats and dignitaries were coming off their ships, escorted by Arendelle’s Royal Guard. They watched the crews of the ships working hard to unload things and tie things down and untie things. Lup was enraptured, endlessly interested in things she’d only read about when she’d been the most bored she’d ever been. Magnus smiled at her curiosity.

Glancing up at the sun, Magnus realized that they needed to be back at the castle to greet these very people and gently put a hand on Lup’s back.

“Your Highness,” he said quietly, so the people passing through wouldn’t hear. “We have to be going back now.”

“Already?” Lup said, turning to look at him with an even more powerful sad face than before.

“…Five more minutes,” Magnus said, once again crumbling immediately.

Lup smiled at him.

As Magnus sat on the small stone wall by the docks, Lup skipped off to get a closer look at the ships. She had always had somewhat of a morbid fascination with them after the king and queen died. If she knew everything about them, she thought, then if she were ever traveling across the ocean she would know how to save them.

Lup walked down the dock, gazing up at the impressive vessels and the script carved into the sides of each ship. Each one had a glorious name like Empress or The Yellowtail or Great Cesar. 

While she was looking up at one of the ships, she slammed into someone’s back and sent them both tumbling to the ground.

“Oh my gosh!” Lup shouted. As she pushed herself up, the man she’d run into turned to see who’d hit him.

“Watch where you’re-!” he started saying, but cut himself off when he saw Lup’s face. “O-oh… Uh, are you okay?”

“What?” Lup scoffed, out of shock more than anything else. This man, who was probably her age and had bright red hair like hers and eyes bluer than the ocean, who she had just knocked to the dirty wooden ground of the docks, was asking if she was okay? “I-I ran into you, are you okay?”

She pulled herself off him, and stood, brushing her dress off and helping him up.

“I- yes, I’m fine I just-” the man blinked at her. “You’re beautiful.”

Lup’s brain short circuited. “What?”

“Sorry!” the man stumbled for new words. “I was just- I was distracted! I was going to say something rude, but you were a pretty woman so I- I asked if you were okay, because that’s what gentlemen do.”

A smile started spreading over her face as he spoke, and she started chuckling.

“What a way to meet, let’s start over,” the man said, clearing his throat. “My name is Gregory Grimaldis, Twelfth Prince of the Kingdom of Goodcastle.”

“Oh!” Lup gasped. She then righted herself and put on her “proper” face, curtsying. “I am Princess Lup Yuno of the Kingdom of Arendelle.”

Gregory stared at her. “Y-you are?”

“Yes. Pleasure meeting you,” she said with a mischievous smile. “I suspect we will have this greeting once more after this.”

“I-I think so too!” Gregory said, smiling back at her. “Wow. I didn’t think I would bump into you here. Literally.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Lup said, dropping her official facade. She felt so comfortable around this man. “I promise the next time we meet I won’t topple you.”

“To be honest, Your Highness, I’m not sure I would mind.” Gregory smiled warmly at her and she felt something she’d never felt before. 

“Let me show you to the palace,” Lup said, her cheeks pink. “It’s the least I can do after scuffing your shoes like that.”

“I would never refuse a lady,” Gregory said straightening his jacket and fixing his hair. “Please, lead the way.”

* * *

The coronation was beautiful. The music played was ethereal, the quiet they all maintained added tremendously to the atmosphere. Lup watched Taako’s robe billow out behind him as he walked to the platform.

He carefully removed his gloves and set them aside, humbly accepting the orb and scepter from the priest. He walked slowly, to the pace of the music, to the throne, where he carefully sat. The priest retrieved the crown, a glorious piece of art with so many jewels and shimmering gold. Taako was as still as a statue as the priest put it upon his head. The priest stood aside and Taako stood slowly.

“Presenting,” the priest said. “King Taako Yuno of Arendelle.”

“Long live the king,” the whole room said in response.

As soon as he was able, Taako handed the orb and scepter back to the priest to be put safely back with the family’s jewels. The crown, too, was taken off after everyone went to the party. The Royal Jewels were for strictly ceremonial purposes. Instead, for everyday the King of Arendelle wore a medal around his neck. The priest put it carefully over Taako’s head and around his neck to rest on his chest. A physical weight there to remind him of his responsibility to his kingdom. As the priest pulled Taako’s braid free from the cloth band of the medal, he smiled up at Taako.

“Long live the king,” he said, his old voice trembling with emotion.

Taako felt his chest twist. This man had crowned his father and had been there for him in times of unrest and turmoil. Taako had never been a very religious person, but he wished he’d come to the chapel with his father more often. He slipped his gloves back on as he felt his emotions threaten to freeze something, and he smiled at the priest.

* * *

The party was alight in so many ways. The candles were all lit around the room, adding to the electric lighting above them. The foreign diplomats and dignitaries were alight as well, with excitement and aided in their good moods by the wine offered to them. The food was delicious, the wine was keeping the mood light, and the conversations were the best possible thing to keep Taako’s anxiety down; they were boring as hell.

All any of these people wanted to talk about was trade routes, tourism, and what the next party everyone was invited to was. Taako stood by the beautiful fountain in the middle of the room after making a couple of rounds, feeling completely at peace as these drunk idiots milled around and forgot they’d already met him. It started out nerve wracking, but quickly fell into a rhythm. Taako was content just standing by as the music started in the ballroom and people started making their way there. 

“Pardon me, Royal Highness,” someone said, somewhat quietly from his left. When Taako looked, there was an absolutely gorgeous, handsome black man with the warmest eyes and the sharpest cheekbones he’d ever seen. He was dressed not quite like a royal, but definitely someone with money and status. His dreadlocks were pulled half up and he stood a few inches taller than Taako. 

“Oh, yes?” Taako said, blinking himself out of ogling this man. 

“Kravitz Wells, Duke of Hellenea of Goodcastle,” the man, Kravitz, said as he bowed low to Taako. He stood back to his full height and smiled at Taako. “May I accompany you to the ballroom?”

“Yes, you may,” Taako said, smirking slightly. He couldn’t remember if he’d been introduced to Kravitz or not, but he was not complaining about getting him as an escort. It was unusual, this feeling of attraction, but definitely not unwelcome. Kravitz made him feel calm, even if he was someone he didn’t know very well. A calming presence was always appreciated.

If the conversation room was alight in many ways, the ballroom may as well have been on fire. People were laughing, chatting loudly, dancing to beautiful music, and drinking more and more wine. It was definitely not the place Taako would’ve wanted to be, but Kravitz looked so at ease that he could pretend a little while longer.

They stood by the doors for one song, just watching people float and swirl around the dance floor. When the next song started, a waltz, Kravitz seemed to perk up in excitement. 

“Royal Highness,” he said, turning to face Taako with a wide smile. “May I have this dance?”

Taako felt anxiety flare in his chest. He hadn’t planned on dancing. Of course he had learned how to dance the various waltzes, but this was much different than dancing alone with a dance instructor. Sure, it wasn’t anything like a fully choreographed waltz, but a waltz was a waltz. He would be very close to this man he’d just met, he would have to keep his composure through it all and not miss a step or it would look bad on the kingdom’s leadership, and he would have to-

“Pardon me if this is rude, but…” Kravitz gave him a sympathetic look. “I can lead if that would ease your fears.”

“F-fears?” Taako said, finally snapping out of it. “I have none.”

Kravitz raised an eyebrow.

“… But as a courtesy, you may lead,” Taako said in an official tone, turning up his nose and facing the dance floor and holding out his hand for Kravitz to take.

The warmth through his glove startled him, and he realized it was because he likely hadn’t touched anyone in the last few years. 

Kravitz walked them out onto the dance floor and held Taako’s left hand in his right, holding them up, and placing his left hand on Taako’s right hip. Ah, Taako realized, he wanted to waltz a Viennese. Fine, he thought in resignation. As the bubbles of anxiety built in his chest, he allowed himself to be led through a simple Viennese Waltz. Nothing too dramatic. 

Noticing his tenseness, Kravitz smiled at him.

“If it’s not overstepping, can I assume you haven’t danced with someone in a while?” he asked, quiet enough that only Taako could hear him.

“I don’t know it to be overstepping to assume something about someone,” Taako answered. “But telling someone your assumptions can often be seen as rude.”

“Have I offended you, Your Highness?” Kravitz asked, but seemed to be asking playfully.

“… No, not yet.” Taako felt a little more at ease the more they talked. “Tell me, how have you enjoyed our kingdom so far?”

“It is beautiful,” Kravitz said earnestly. “I’ve never seen such crystal clear water before. The fjord is just gorgeous. The people here are wonderful as well, so nice and welcoming. Happy people signal a well-led kingdom, and I can tell that your subjects are truly happy.”

“I’m glad you think of us so highly,” Taako said, a smile finally gracing his face. Kravitz wanted to keep the memory of his smile forever. “I hope you continue to find your stay comfortable.”

“… May I speak a little more casually with you?” Kravitz asked, just as their dance was winding down.

“I-I suppose,” Taako said, realizing people had been watching them.

“I have enjoyed your company so much, you seem like such an amazing person under all this… All these walls.” Kravitz bowed to him to officially end the dance, then walked with him back to the ballroom doors. 

“Walls?” Taako’s shoulders tensed.

“Well, you speak so officially, which isn’t bad of course, but… You don’t seem like you’re enjoying yourself.” Kravitz looked genuinely concerned, which made Taako’s anxiety worsen.

“I-I’m enjoying myself,” he said, unconvincingly, glancing around at the party-goers. He realized he was looking for his sister. “I just- you’re right, it’s been a long time since I’ve touched- d-danced with anyone.”

“You seem nervous, do you want to step out of the ballroom?” Kravitz asked gently, cautiously reaching out for his hand.

Taako almost lost his composure, going to jerk his hand away, but again the warmth of Kravitz’s hand through his glove startled him long enough to give him time to calm down. He simply nodded and let Kravitz lead him out of the ballroom. 

In the hall, Taako finally has a moment to breathe. Taking his hand back from Kravitz, he turned away and tried to straighten himself out again. His stomach was still flipping around, being around so many people was really starting to scare him. What if something happened and he revealed his powers? And where was Lup? What if something happened to her?

“Your Highness?” Kravitz said quietly. “Are you alright?”

“Y-yes!” Taako said suddenly, spinning back around, clasping his hands together. “I-I uh, I’m fine! I’m just- um, I’m just worried about my sister!”

“Oh.” Kravitz blinked at him.

“Yes! She’s been so excited for the party today and I haven’t seen her this whole time, so… I am… Worried…” Taako trailed off, realizing that he was in fact very worried. He was worried he would accidentally use his powers in front of this hot guy and scare him, he was worried Lup was off getting kidnapped somewhere, he was worried that he’d been gone from the ballroom too long and that people would start looking for him, he was worried that he would do something wrong, something a king shouldn’t do, like run off from the ballroom and leave his guests unattended to-

“Okay, okay,” Kravitz said, raising his hands. Taako’s breath was quickening, his hands tightening around one another. “We’ll find her, I promise. Where was she last?”

“I-I don’t know, she wasn’t in the conversation room,” Taako said, suddenly realizing how dangerous this situation really was. He was freaking out, he might start freezing things soon if he didn’t calm down.

“Why don’t we tell the guards to look for her, they’ll be able to find her,” Kravitz suggested, reaching hesitantly for Taako’s hand again. 

This time, instead of letting him take it, Taako stepped away quickly, feeling himself grow colder. “Great idea! L-let’s um, let’s do that! I mean- I mean, I’ll do that! You should go back inside, enjoy the party!”

Kravitz let his hand fall back at his side, looking worriedly at Taako as he backed away. “Alright. If I see the Princess I’ll tell the guards that she’s been found.”

“Thank you!” Taako called over his shoulder, having turned around as he felt cold air pouring out of his gloves. The first guard he saw he walked up to. “Please locate my sister, I haven’t seen her in a while and I want to make sure she’s alright.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the guard said, walking dutifully off to inform the other guards.

Taako breathed slowly, trying to calm down and stop feeling so anxious. He walked toward his room instinctively, only to remember that he had to go back into the ballroom and be with his guests. He twisted his hands together as he turned around, not feeling any less worried about his ability to keep himself in check. 

His ears felt fuzzy as he huffed labored breaths, anxiety sparking through his chest like a bolt of electricity. He was having a panic attack, this was horrible. He would freeze something, he knew it. He felt the cuffs of his jacket grow colder and colder, little flurries floating out. Startled, he gasped and tried to cover them, making more flurries pour out. It was the middle of summer for the gods’ sake, how would he explain snow in the palace?!

Desperate for an out of some kind, Taako stumbled back through the main hall toward the ballroom. He had to go back, but he couldn’t if he was about to go polar. Thankfully, just then, the front doors opened and there stood Lup. The relief he felt seeing her quelled his lingering anxiety, just knowing she was safe.

“Taako!” she called excitedly, rushing over to him. “Sorry I wasn’t at the party, I was hanging out with Greg!”

“Lup, thank goodness-” Taako started, then blinked when he realized she was with one of the princes from the neighboring kingdoms. “What?”

“Oh, of course,” Lup said, jumping slightly, then stepping back to take Greg’s hand. “Prince Gregory Grimaldis of Goodcastle.”

“I-it’s a pleasure,” Taako said, still unsure.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Royal Highness.” Gregory bowed to him, hand over his heart. When he stood back up, he smiled. 

“Taako, I’m so glad we ran into you!” Lup said, grabbing Greg’s hand and holding it close to her chest, almost as if- “We wanted your blessing!”

“My- my blessing?” Taako frowned. “For what?”

“Our marriage!” Lup exclaimed, smiling so wide her cheeks must’ve hurt.

Taako stared at them. “No.”

Lup stared back at him, smile faltering. “What?”

“No, you just met today,” Taako said, scoffing slightly, bringing a hand to his face. The absurdity still hadn’t passed. Marriage? She’s throwing herself at the first handsome man she sees? Maybe he had neglected her for too long but this was ridiculous… “You can’t marry someone you’ve just met.”

“But-!” Lup was already pouting, but Gregory took a step forward.

“Your Majesty, if I may calm some of your worries-” he started, but Taako held up a hand to stop him.

“No you may not,” he said sternly, starting to turn away from them. 

“Taako, wait!” Lup shouted, reaching and grabbing his hand, accidentally pulling off his glove.

“Lup!” he gasped, reaching for the glove. “Give that back!”

“No, what is so wrong?” she asked, following him as he started to leave.

“Enough, Lup,” he said over his shoulder, realizing in horror that they were passing the ballroom. 

“No, don’t shut me out again!” she shouted, walking faster to keep up with him. “What happened to you?! What are you so afraid of?!”

“I said, enough!” Taako shouted, turning around to face her. As he did so, unconsciously sweeping an arm out to stop her, ice flew from his palm and made an arc of sharp icicles, pointed at her. 

Through the open doors of the ballroom, the party-goers’ gasps were deafening as Taako realized what he’d just done. His heart was pounding, holding his bare hand to his chest, glancing in panic at the guests who now looked at him with fear, the diplomats and dignitaries who were whispering to each other, and his sister’s shocked face. 

“Sorcery…” someone whispered from the ballroom.

Before anyone could react, he ran. It was the last thing he could do. He ran from the hallway to the main hall, out the doors and out the gates, running into the hills and toward the mountains as fast as he could. His anxiety carried him faster and further away, not know how else to handle the storm that now burst out of him. His footfalls left ice creeping out beneath them. The only way to keep them safe, he reasoned, was to leave. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this week! Again, please let me know what you think so far... 
> 
> Also, a note for the lack of the "Love Is An Open Door" sequence: I wanted to emphasize the way Elsa/Taako would have been totally blindsided by that happening, also adding to the absurdity of wanting to marry someone you just met that always seems to be normal in Disney movies. Also, we all know what Greg/Hans ends up being, so there's no reason to try and trick you into liking him. ALSO also, I wanted to have an extra scene with Taako because I always wondered how Elsa didn't lose it from the party alone. Hope that makes sense!


	5. Kingdom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako is the king of this icy kingdom, a kingdom of no subjects and no sovereign land.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! This is the third of six updates, you know what that means? WE'RE HALFWAY THERE! I hope you've enjoyed this so far! I have many big plans for the future, so get excited!

The icy peaks of the mountains were a perfect fit for the occasion, Taako thought grimly. The wind howled, but it didn’t bother him. He never did feel the cold he created. As he walked through the newly formed snow, he prayed and hoped that Lup would be okay without him. He knew she would be safer without him. She had Gregory if nothing else. He had to stay away from the kingdom, that was the only way to keep it safe.

As he walked, he felt the wind shift and change around him. Funny, he thought, turning to look at the kingdom that was far, far away now. Funny how distance makes his anxieties feel… Small. They certainly looked smaller from up here. He took a breath and found himself unhindered. Like the thin air found its way into his lungs easier. He could finally breathe, no longer restricted by responsibilities and expectations. The kingdom knew about his powers. So what?

Yeah, he thought, turning back to look at the mountain. So what if they knew? Nothing could take it back, nothing could change the past. All he could do now was move forward, and he was sure that future didn’t include going back to Arendelle. It would be safer for them, and for him, to stay in the mountains. 

He kept walking toward the highest peak, climbing a small ledge to reach a huge mostly flat area. He marveled at the snow. He really had always loved it, the way it sparkled in the sun and how it floated gently to the ground when it just started snowing. He used to make such fun things for Lup and him to play in and play with, little army men and pretty dolls and castles for them to live in, forests made of ice and snow. Maybe he could still make them…

Holding out a hesitant hand, he let lose a magical blast that hit the snow in front of him. It swirled around, building itself high into a tree made of snow. Taako stared at it in wonder, it was the tallest tree he’d ever seen. He walked to it and put a hand on it, and slowly the whole thing started transforming into ice. Blue tinged and crystal clear, climbing up the tree until it was fully made of ice.

Taako felt a smile forming on his face as he turned to create a second, then a third, each one taller than the last and made completely out of ice. He ran through the snow, creating a forest, then a staircase to reach higher on the mountain, then he really started to feel free.

The word stuck in his mind. Free. It’s all he’d ever wanted to be, free from his anxieties, free from responsibilities, free from expectations, free from having to worry every single day about being found out. It was out now, and now he was finally free.

He couldn’t help the laugh that came out of him, surprised and giddy. He looked at his hands, seeing his one remaining glove. No use for this anymore, he thought, tugging it off and letting it get carried away in the wind. He watched it fly away, flapping helplessly. His cloak got swept up in the wind, jerking him suddenly. He unclasped it, watching it too fly off into the wind. So little did things really matter, he thought.

He would make a place for himself, he decided. He would make somewhere he could stay and be alone, free from hurting anyone ever again.

He turned back toward his path, marching along toward another gap that he easily made a staircase over. Each new stair solidified and turned to crystalline ice as he stepped on it, the magic spreading out from him in all directions. God, what a feeling, he thought with a relieved sigh. All this time, all he had to do to feel this way was to leave. He should’ve done this years ago. 

Finding a new, larger flat area, Taako lifted his hands out and felt the snow beneath him rumble. He stepped confidently forward and ice formed under his foot, spreading out in all directions creating a flat surface. He lifted his hands and columns began to grow out of the ice below, soon towering over him and creating a structure around him. A palace of crystal ice, a cold, frozen kingdom perfect for him.

As the floor lifted him up onto a second level, the palace around him forming slowly and deliberately, he felt the medal around his neck weigh him down. As a last act of rebellion, he took the medal off and threw it out the window that now formed its glass. 

The feelings of freedom and relief were so strong that he felt a different kind of icy wind swirl around him. It hugged him and spun around, catching his hair in the updraft. He laughed and magic flowed out of him, pouring down his body and freeing him from the literal restrictions he still felt. Instead of his perfectly tailored pants, a glacier-blue skirt of a dress flowed around his legs. His restricting jacket was replaced by a long-sleeved top with a wide neckline and a flowing cape. As the wind swirled back down, his hair fell from its pins into a long braid that lay down his back. His nails grew into sharp blue points. He finally felt free, like… like himself.

The final creak of the ice around signaled that the palace was finished. The ice seemed to glow on its own, the dark night sky doing nothing to snuff out his newly found light. Taako spun around to look at the gorgeous palace around him. He ran a hand along the wall as he walked toward the balcony of this room, a room he would decide was his room. 

From the balcony, he could see the new kingdom he would rule over. A crystal kingdom of frozen ice and snow where no one could reach him. The safest place in the world for him and everyone else. Far in the distance, he could see the lights of Arendelle and felt a pang of guilt. Flurries swirled around him, and this time he let them. The guilt turned the ice balustrade he was leaning on green. This was the safest thing, he told himself. For Lup. She wasn’t safe as long as he was in Arendelle, and she was safest with him out here.

His heart tugged more with the thought of Kravitz. The poor guy had been dropped into the weirdest situation, danced with the newly crowned king and then had witnessed magic, probably scared out of his mind. There was no telling what he thought of Taako now. Probably scared like everyone else. This was the best for Kravitz, too. It was the best, he said over and over. It was the only thing he could do, and it was the best choice. 


	6. Quest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup meets Barry. He’s kind of an asshole. They climb the mountain in search of Taako.

Lup stared out the castle gates, where her brother had run away from what had just happened. Remembering the outburst and the icicles that had magically grown and formed, she felt something push at the back of her mind, a memory she wasn’t allowed to access.

“Lup,” Greg said gently from behind her. “We have to get inside, it’s beginning to snow…”

“I have to go after him,” she said automatically, realizing that she did have to. There was no way she was going to let him run away after what had just happened. She understood now. Along with the pressure of being future king, then suddenly being king, he had been hiding this- magic within him all this time. No wonder he was always so afraid to do anything and go anywhere, he must not be able to control it!

“Okay, but first come inside and change into something warmer,” Greg suggested, taking her hand.

She turned and looked to him, feeling instantly calmer with him there. “Okay.”

Inside the palace, the staff were handing out blankets and cloaks to those who needed them. Greg pulled Lup toward the first maid they saw and asked them to get her something warm to wear for travel. The maid ran off immediately, though they looked concerned.

“What are you planning to do?” Greg asked while walking with her to her room. 

“I- I have to talk to him,” Lup said helplessly. She had no idea what she was going to do, but she understood now. She had to let him know she was still there for him. 

“He might be dangerous, Lup,” Greg said worriedly.

“He’s not dangerous, he’s my brother,” Lup scoffed. She turned to face him in front of her room, taking his hands. “He would never hurt me.”

Greg stared into her eyes, seeming to calm down just by holding her gaze. “Alright.”

Lup went into her room to change while Greg stood in the hall, waiting for her. When she came back out, she was dressed in a heavy woolen dress with a crimson fur-lined cloak and boots. Her hair was tied up into a bun under her hood.

They walked back to the main hall, Lup gripping his hand the whole time.

“I’m coming with you,” Greg said as they reached the gates. “I want to keep you safe.”

“No, I need you here,” Lup said, shaking her head. She took both his hands again, squeezing them. “I need you to look after my people, make sure they stay inside where it’s warm.”

Greg looked conflicted, opening his mouth to protest, then closing it. “Alright. I won’t let you down, Princess.”

“I know you won’t,” Lup said, smiling at him. 

A butler brought her a royal horse from the stables and she took it with a grateful nod. As she climbed on, Greg stepped forward again.

“Be careful, Lup,” he said earnestly.

“I will,” she responded, looking back at him for a moment before turning to face the path. Then she took off down the road on the path she saw Taako take.

* * *

The snow was only starting to come down harder the further out Lup went. Her horse didn’t seem super excited about being in the freezing cold after it having just been the middle of summer either. She tugged her cloak tighter around her as they went further into the mountain forests.

“Come on, just a little further,” she whispered to the horse, petting the side of its neck to try and calm it. 

A fresh and freezing gust of wind blew down from the mountain, carrying flurries with it. Lup felt the air sharp and brisk against her face and she squeezed her eyes shut, pulling the hood around her head to keep it from falling off. The horse had had it then, shaking and getting spooked.

“No!” Lup shouted, pulling back on the reigns only to be bucked off and thrown into the freezing snow. “It’s okay! No, don’t-!”

Her shouts were ignored at the horse ran back the way they’d come, shivering and throwing its head as it disappeared through the trees. Lup stood up and shivered with another gust of wind.

Well, fuck, she thought grimly. Now she would have to find some other way up the mountain. Though, honestly, it was wishful thinking that she’d be able to make it up to the peak of that mountain with just a horse. She remembered there being an outpost somewhere up here, so she kept walking that way. 

The trees would’ve been beautiful if it wasn’t so late. They loomed over her all around, drooping from the weight of the sudden snow. Next to her, snow finally slipped from one of the branches and fell, startling her. She nearly jumped a foot in the air.

“Fuck!” she shouted, spinning around. Heart hammering in her chest, she tried to calm herself before turning back in the direction of the outpost.

Finally, she saw the lights of the small building that sold trail essentials for those who worked in or traveled through the woods. She could feel the heat of the building before she even opened the door, grateful that someone out here had been able to light a fire.

“Welcome in,” the owner called in a thick German accent, smiling at her. “Oh! You are… Princess Lup, yes?”

“Y-yes,” she said, shivering. “I-I’m l-looking for m-my brother, I need to g-get up the m-m-mountain.”

“Oh, Your Highness, please sit by the fire!” the man said, walking around the counter and leading her to the fireplace. “It is very cold out there, please warm up first.”

“Thank you,” Lup sighed, leaning toward the heat of the fire.

“I will get you something warm to eat, then we can see what things you need for your journey, yes?”

“Yes, thank you so much,” Lup said over her shoulder, smiling at the man.

As he walked away, someone else entered the outpost.

“Welcome in- oh, it’s you again.” The man didn’t sound excited about who had just walked in. Lup looked over her shoulder and saw a short man dressed well for the cold, covered in snow from being out in the storm, much like she was. “What do you need now?”

“I need food for my reindeer,” the mysterious man said, his voice gruff and tired. “And to sit by your fire a while.”

“Food for the animal will be fifty,” the owner said, somewhat shortly.

“Fifty?!” the guy exclaimed. “Ten!”

“For that big thing? Ten will get you one cup of feed.”

“This is ridiculous!” the guy shouted.

“I can pay for his reindeer’s food,” Lup said over them, tired of their argument. “And food for him. Get him a bowl of whatever I’m having.”

“Yes, My Lady,” the owner said, happily turning to the pot of warm soup behind him. “Such a generous lady, how lucky we are!”

The strange guy walked over to the fire cautiously, sitting down a few feet away from her.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he said, taking his hat off to reveal his messy brown hair. “He’s overcharging because he hates me.”

“Well, I’ve got money to spare,” Lup said dismissively. “And you two were annoying.”

The guy looked at her, narrowing his eyes. 

“Don’t make me regret buying you food,” Lup warned, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

He didn’t say anything, just warming up next to her as they waited for their food. When it came, the guy looked grateful despite himself. The owner seemed to let their apparent grudge go for the time being. He gave a huge smile to Lup as she took her bowl.

They both sighed when they took their first bites. The warmth alone was enough to make Lup’s shoulders stop shaking, but the taste was amazing too. Whatever it was, something made of summer vegetables and fresh milk, it was the best damn soup she’d ever had. The guy next to her seemed satisfied too. He ate a little sloppier than she did, but she didn’t mind one bit. This was already the strangest day of her life, how much weirder was it to eat delicious soup made by a nice outpost owner on the floor in front of a fire next to a man with a reindeer? Not much weirder, Lup decided.

“So, why are you all the way out here during this storm?” the guy next to her asked. They’d just finished their soup and handed the bowl back to the outpost owner.

“I’m looking for my brother,” she said, sighing. Thank goodness she’d found this place, she finally felt warmed back up. 

“He’s out here in this storm too?”

“He caused it,” she said, glancing to see his reaction. Surprisingly, he looked like he believed her.

“So then he must be at the epicenter of it,” he said thoughtfully. “The north mountain, the tallest one, that’s what seems like the center of the storm. It’ll be a blizzard soon if you don’t do something about your brother.”

“I’m trying to, but I lost my horse,” Lup groaned, running a hand over her hair. It was still held up in a bun, but some strands were coming loose. “I have no way to go up anymore except for walking.”

“Hm, that’s unlucky…” the guy said with a sigh. “There’s no way you’re getting up there by yourself.”

Lup groaned again, dropping her face into her hands. She had to get to Taako, she had to talk to him and get him to come home. But how was she going to climb a mountain by herself without freezing to death? She turned her head, resting it on her knees, and looked at the guy next to her. He looked like someone who knew the woods, and who knew how to get around in snow. Maybe she could ask for his help…

“Will you help me?” she asked, staring at his warm-looking mittens.

He turned to look at her suddenly. “What? No, are you crazy? I’m not going up there.”

She frowned.

“Look, lady, I hope you find a way up there because this storm is really starting to get annoying, but I’m not sticking my neck out like that.” The guy shook his head and turned back to the fire.

“I’m Princess Lup of Arendelle,” she said, realizing he must not know who she is.

“Oh,” the guy said, turning and looking surprised at her. “Well, in that case… No, Your Highness.”

She frowned harder, eyebrows drawn. “I’ll pay you.”

“I don’t need more of your money,” he grumbled, waving a hand at her. “You couldn’t pay me enough to do this.”

“Then what can I do to convince you?” she asked, sitting up straight. “I need to get up there and calm my brother down, or else this storm- this blizzard will keep going forever! If I don’t get up there, Arendelle will freeze over! I get that you don’t want to get involved, but it’s either you take me up there and make sure I don’t get killed or I take your sled by some royal official bullshit and leave you stranded here with that guy you hate!”

The guy was staring at her, eyes wide, as she yelled at him.

“This is serious! Think of the people that might die if we don’t help my brother!” she could feel her face getting red as she got angrier at this man. How dare he think so selfishly? She was trying to save everyone, specifically her brother and their kingdom! The kingdom this guy lived in!

“A-alright, alright! Calm down, I- I get it.” The guy held a hand out to try and calm her. “I’ll- fine, alright, you’re right. I’ll help you get up the mountain.”

“Thank you-”

“But you do have to pay me,” he added quickly.

“That’s fine, you can have a house for all I care!” she said excitedly. Thank the gods, she’d found some help.

“I’m Barry, by the way,” he said, putting his hat back on.

“It is very nice to meet you, Barry,” Lup said, smiling.

“You too,” he chuckled. “Strange. Never thought I’d meet one of the royal twins, let alone in a place like this.”

“Well, we’re all having a weird day,” she said with a shrug. An understatement, she thought, but still true.

* * *

They set out after Lup bought some tools for them. Some climbing gear, fresh water, a third pair of socks for each of them, and the whole bag of feed for Barry’s reindeer. Once they gave the reindeer a while to eat, they climbed onto the sled and set off toward the north mountain.

Lup stayed huddled next to the lantern hanging on Barry’s sled, the only source of heat as the wind whipped around them. It was weak, but she felt it slightly every now and then. As they climbed and climbed in altitude, Lup felt it get colder and colder. The closer they got to the swirling storm, nearly a blizzard now, the more worried she got for Taako. He must be so scared, everyone just learned his biggest secret. He must think people are terrified of him. She wasn’t scared of him, she refused to be. He was her brother, there was nothing he could do or be that would be unacceptable to her. She loved him more than anyone in the world.

“Are we getting close?” Lup asked, noticing they were slowing down.

“I think so,” Barry said, taking the lantern and holding it out to show her what he was seeing. 

In front of them were these tall trees that looked like evergreens, but they were entirely made of ice. See-through and crystalline, each one looked taller than the next, towering over the natural trees around them. Lup and Barry both got off the sled, carefully approaching. 

“Whoa,” Barry breathed, reaching to put a gloved hand on one of the trees. “This ice is… Perfect.”

“He made a forest,” Lup said quietly, stepping further into the tree line. “Why?”

“I can’t believe he actually has magical powers…” Barry muttered. “I mean, I could’ve guessed with the storm suddenly coming out of nowhere but this is… This is all the proof I need.”

“I know he’s through these woods, he has to be,” Lup said, suddenly urgent. She turned to Barry. “You should stay here, I don’t want to burden you any more than I-”

“What?” Barry turned to her, startled. “Are you kidding me? I’m coming with you no matter what now, look at this ice! It’s incredible! I have to see what else he can do with it!”

“Huh?” Lup stared at him as he walked back to the sled and grabbed their equipment. “But Barry, you-”

“Listen, Princess, I was doing this because it was the right thing to do, but now I’m doing this to see what else your brother can do with these ice powers of his. I’m a man of science, I study the woods and the mountains, and I’ve never seen ice this perfect.” Barry walked right past her into the icy woods. “You coming?”

Lup stared, dumbfounded. This guy was ridiculous, she thought. Ridiculous and adorable. Then she shook herself and followed him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for this week! I hope you liked these chapters, I know the first was short but I made up for it in this chapter! Next week we get into some faster-moving stuff, get excited...!!  
> Let me know what you think, whether you're excited for the next batch of chapters, or just anything you want to say or talk about! I love hearing from readers, and I appreciate every single one of you!!


	7. I Can't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako makes a mistake, just like when they were kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! This week's update is much bigger than last week, definitely over 5,000 words in this update combined. I hope you enjoy! Things are getting dramatic!

They walked slowly through the trees of ice, the reflections in the trees started to mess with Lup’s head if she looked too long. Barry was marveling at them all, taken by the beauty and perfection of them. They kept close to one another to keep warm.

The wind whipped around them, making them both stop in their tracks and shiver. Lup gripped Barry’s arm. 

“God, he couldn’t have had fire powers,” Lup grumbled, shivering and tightening her grip on Barry’s arm. “It’s f-freezing!”

“Don’t worry, looks like we’re close,” Barry said, staring in wonder ahead of them.

When Lup looked, she saw what was so impressive. A gorgeous ice staircase with swirling banister. It led up from the level of the mountain they were on to a higher level. Beyond that, there was another staircase that was equally impressive, but none of it was as impressive as what was beyond that. A huge palace of ice, as if it had grown right out of the mountain in huge pillars of crystal, towered over them. The light from the moon glinted off the highest points of the palace and shimmered through the giant pillars. The intricacies of it all were mind blowing, Lup found herself lost in the designs that seemed to be within the ice itself as they got closer. Barry looked like he was going to cry.

“Wait,” Lup said suddenly, stopping them both. “You should wait out here.”

“What?!” Barry was instantly pouting. He pointed to the ice. “But-!”

“I know, but he doesn’t know you. He might get nervous.”

“Please, just let me in the front room?” Barry clasped his hands together, begging.

“No, just wait out here for me,” Lup said sternly. “I don’t want to scare him.”

Barry sighed and sat on the stairs. “Fine. I’ll keep a lookout, then…”

“Thank you, Barry,” Lup said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Then, she turned to the doors and steeled herself.

She knocked, and to her surprise, the doors swung open.

“That’s a first,” she muttered, stepping hesitantly into the room. It was more beautiful than the outside, the ice around seeming to glow somehow, lighting the entirety of the interior of the palace. Patterns like snowflakes were inside the ice, catching the light as she walked toward the huge curved staircase on the right side of the room.

“Lup?” a voice said, and Lup looked up and saw Taako standing at the top of the stairs, having just come out of a door there. He looked- different. He wore a floor-length dress instead of the official, royal-looking suit he was made to wear before. It was a light icy blue, with crystals across the shoulders and the hem that glittered like the palace around them, and a long cape that fluttered behind him. It fit him perfectly, she thought.

“Taako! Thank goodness you’re okay, I came to bring you back!” Lup took a step up the stairs.

“Oh, uh,” Taako stuttered, stepping back from her advancement. “L-Lup, no.”

“What?” She stopped, looking up at him with worry.

“I’m not going back, Lulu,” he said gently, smiling slightly. “I- I’m not meant to be there.”

“What?” she repeated, stepping up the stairs faster. “Taako, no, you belong in Arendelle! You belong with me!”

“Lup, it’s safer without me there,” Taako said, stepping back again. “It’s better for you. You’ll be able to keep the gates open whenever you want and have fun…”

“Not without you!” Lup said, angry now. “I can’t believe you really think- Taako, you can’t really think I would want all that stuff, the gates open, spending time in town and seeing the world- you think I’d want to do that without you?!”

“You have to, Lup,” Taako said, firmer now. “It’s not safe for you to be here, you need to go home.”

“Taako, it wouldn’t matter even if you were right because-!”

“Lup, please!” Taako said desperately, the ice around him shimmering with energy. “I understand that you mean well, but I’m happier out here! I’m happier and safer out here alone!”

“Taako, I don’t think you get what’s-”

“Lup, please,” Taako said, going back through the door he’d gone through and up another flight of stairs. Lup followed as fast as she could, slipping slightly on the stairs. They were still made of ice, after all. “Just stay away from here and you and everyone else in Arendelle will be safe!”

Lup huffed, half from the effort of climbing the stairs and half from her frustration. “Actually, that’s not true.”

“What?” Taako turned to face her at the far end of this room.

“I get the feeling you don’t know what’s going on out there,” Lup said, stepping forward.

“What don’t I know?!” Taako demanded, unconsciously stepping toward her.

“Arendelle is covered in snow, Taako,” she said looking at him sympathetically. “The storm is only growing, it’ll be a blizzard soon.”

“Wh-what?” Taako stumbled back.

“Even the fjord is freezing over,” Lup said, walking forward toward him. “But it’s okay, you can unfreeze it!”

“N-no I can’t, I don’t know how!” he said, head spinning. 

“We can figure it out together!” Lup said, realizing she was having to speak louder as the wind around them started swirling faster. This was very strange, she realized, because they were inside. “Taako, it’s going to be okay!”

“I-I was so stupid,” Taako was muttering to himself. “How could I actually believe that- that I could be free from this? I can’t- I can’t ever- I can’t control it, I’ll never get away from it-!”

“Taako, it’s going to be okay!” Lup shouted again, reaching for him as ice and snow stared swirling around them too. “Don’t panic!”

“L-Lulu- you’re not safe! Get away!” Taako shouted, pulling away from her outstretched hand and holding his hands close to his chest.

“Taako, I’m right here, we can do this together-!”

“I can’t!” Taako screamed, curling in on himself.

A wave of force crashed out of him and around the room, turning the ice a bright and unwelcoming white. As it traveled, it hit Lup in the chest and threw her back against the door they’d come through. She fell to the ground, clutching her chest and suddenly shivering.

“L-Lup-” Taako said helplessly, starting to rush to her before stopping himself. “I- I tried to tell you! It’s not safe, you’re not safe, I-!”

“Lup?!” Barry called, running up the stairs just outside the room. “What happened, I saw some kind of flash and-!”

As he burst into the room, he saw Lup still slumped against the other door and Taako standing on the other end of the room looking terrified.

“Who are you?” Taako asked.

“She hired me,” Barry said, kneeling next to Lup as she started to come to. “Are you okay?”

“I’m f-fine,” Lup said, looking up at Taako. “Taako, please. I understand now why you f-felt like y-you had to hide from me, please j-just come h-home!”

“I can’t believe after what I just did to you, you still…” Taako mumbled, shaking his head. He looked up at Barry. “You, take her back to the castle and make sure she’s alright.”

“No!” Lup shouted, trying to shove Barry off of her. “I’m not leaving here without you!”

“Yes, you are,” Taako said sadly, holding a hand out and making a sweeping motion, throwing them out of the room and down the stairs that were now a large slide. Barry held Lup close as they slid out the door and then bounced down the staircase and fell into the snow. The doors slammed behind them.

Barry looked up at the palace, the blinding white of the room they’d been in was creeping through the entire structure. He must be terrified, Barry thought sadly. In his arms, Lup hit his chest weakly.

“How could he?” she whispered, tears falling from her eyes. “How could he truly think I’m better off without him?”

“We can try again once we make sure you’re okay,” Barry promised, getting up carefully, still holding her close. She was shivering a lot more than before, and the one lock of white hair on her head seemed to be… spreading. They had to move fast. “Where do I need to take you?”

Lup was silent as he walked back the way they’d come, down the first staircase and reentering the ice woods. Her body shook violently from the cold and suddenly her hair grew more and more white.

“Lup, where do I need to take you to get you help?” Barry asked again, more urgently this time.

“… The p-palace,” she said despondently. “Th-there’s a ph-physician there that c-can h-h-help…”

“Okay.” Barry walked faster, relieved when they finally got back to the sled.

He set Lup down on the bench of the sled, giving her the lantern to hold for warmth. She was getting colder and colder by the moment, so she welcomed the small heat. Barry made sure his reindeer was okay before they set off toward the castle.

Lup shivered next to Barry the whole way back. She couldn’t stop thinking about the building pressure in her mind. Something was familiar about this. She wasn’t allowed to remember why or how. But she knew, and she knew it had something to do with the white in her hair. She hadn’t been born with it like she’d thought. 


	8. Only an Act of True Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A truth is revealed.

After Lup left, Greg took a steadying breath before turning to the guards. He had to keep the people safe, and he had to somehow distract himself from worrying over Lup’s safety. He crossed the courtyard and went up to the nearest guard, a tall, burly man with bushy sideburns.

“Make sure the people of Arendelle are safe within the palace, and that they all have warm clothes and meals,” he said, somewhat commandingly. Lup left him in charge, after all.

“Yes, sir,” the guard said, nodding and walking with purpose into the palace.

Greg turned to look out the gates one more time. The track of Lup’s horse was already covered with a fresh layer of snow. He sighed and turned back to walk into the palace.

* * *

Inside the palace, the huge amount of people from the kingdom, those who stayed for the party instead of going home early, were all gathered in the ballroom. But the Royal Adviser was already gathering groups of people and assigning them rooms in the palace to stay, since each room had a fireplace and keeping people in the ballroom would not be helpful in keeping them warm. Maids were rushing through the halls carrying firewood and blankets, probably having to pull out the Royal Family’s winter preparation items in a hurry. Butlers were handing out blankets and cloaks, and even little stuffed toys for children. Despite their closed-off nature, Lup and Taako ran a fine kingdom, Greg thought. 

He walked upstairs toward the conversation room, where the diplomats and dignitaries were currently waiting. They were all formulating different plans for how to get home, but all were slowly falling apart as they saw the fjord starting to freeze over. One of them, Duke of Hellenea of Greg’s own kingdom, if he remembered correctly, looked much more worried than the others and wasn’t talking with them.

“Duke Wells,” Greg said, walking forward towards him.

“Your Highness,” Kravitz said, surprised. He bowed quickly, his face soon returning to the troubled expression he’d worn a moment before.

“What troubles you?” Greg asked, glancing at the others in the room. They needed someone to lead them and calm them down, or they would soon break out into a panic. People didn’t often like being trapped.

“I’m worried,” Kravitz said, fidgeting with this thumbs.

“Of course,” Greg said, nodding. “This is a very stressful and unprecedented time.”

“Oh, well, yes,” Kravitz said awkwardly, cheeks getting warm. “But I meant… I’m worried for T- the King of Arendelle.”

“Ah, I see,” Greg hummed. “I am as well. He seemed quite… wound up? Anxious. He seemed so all night, did he not?”

“He did,” Kravitz agreed, still not really looking at him. He was lost in his anxious thoughts. 

“Kravitz,” Greg said, startling him by using his first name. “He’ll be alright. Lup is out looking for him, I’m sure she’ll find him and help him calm down.”

Kravitz stared at him, taking a breath and slowly looking less worried. “Y-yes, I suppose you’re right… We really ought to be thinking of a game plan of our own, hm?”

“Indeed,” Greg said with a warm smile. “Let’s work together on this, we can help everyone calm down while we wait for the Princess to return.”

Kravitz nodded and walked with him back to the group of diplomats and dignitaries.

“Excuse me, everyone,” Greg said, loud and commanding. The people in the room quieted themselves. “Pardon my interruption, but I think we all need to come together and form a cohesive plan.”

The general mass of people nodded along and murmured agreements. One who did not stepped forward. A short, grisly-looking dwarf that Greg recognized as King Gundren Rockseeker of the Kingdom of Wave Echo Cove.

“Who made you the one in charge?” he asked, voice as gruff as his face and unkempt beard.

“Princess Lup asked me to keep her people safe,” Greg said, in his most official tone. “To do that, we all must work together for the time being, so as not to incite unrest in the people of Arendelle.”

“Please, we’re going to drive ourselves mad if we don’t start trying to help one another through this,” Kravitz said from next to Greg. “We must try our best to deal with this situation.”

“Yes, thank you Kravitz,” Greg said, smiling at him. He turned back to King Rockseeker with another official look. “We must put aside our… Prejudices, for the time being, King Rockseeker.”

“Prejudices…” King Rockseeker grumbled. “More like warranted fear and caution around a sorcerer!”

He turned to the group, hands raised.

“You all saw it! He raised a hand at his own sister! Icicles shot out and formed from nothing! He’s a danger to his own family, his own kingdom, and certainly to us and our kingdoms!” As he shouted, the other dignitaries in the room looked less and less comforted.

“I will not have you speak of my fiance’s brother, much less the King of Arendelle, in such a manner,” Greg said firmly, stepping forward. “I will not have you putting fear into the hearts of the people I am sworn to protect.”

“You’re blinded by love, boy!” King Rockseeker shouted, turning back to him. “What if the Princess has magic too? She’s just as dangerous as her brother!”

“Enough!” Greg shouted back, then immediately closed his eyes to calm himself. He took a breath before speaking again. “Enough. You can raise your- your doubts and fears when they return. For now, we must all work together to formulate some kind of plan.”

King Rockseeker stared him down for a while before relenting with a huff. “I won’t work with you, but if they return I won’t hesitate to call my guard on them.”

“That sounds suspiciously like a threat, King Rockseeker,” Greg said, narrowing his eyes. “Careful with your words, or you may very well be cut off from Arendelle’s resources.”

“Good riddance!” he shouted, walking off toward the other end of the room. “I don’t want any more dirty sorcerer’s resources! My people will be just fine without their disgusting magical wares!”

Greg huffed a sigh. Kravitz put a comforting hand on his arm, helping to release some tension from his shoulders.

“My Prince,” Kravitz said quietly. “Try not to worry about him right now, we have much more important things to focus on than… Him.”

“You’re right,” Greg sighed. He looked back at the group still in front of him. “Let’s all start planning how we will handle this.”

* * *

It was when they were setting up small fires in the courtyard of the castle for extra heat to melt the snow when Lup’s Royal horse came back, spooked and empty-saddled. Greg was able to calm it quickly, but Greg’s chest was quickly filled with anxiety. Where was Lup? If her horse was here, where was she?

“Guards!” Greg called, and three guards ran over quickly, one taking the reigns of the horse to lead it back to the stables. “We must put together a search party for my fia- I-I mean, Princess Lup.”

The guard with bushy sideburns nodded, looking quite worried himself.

“We must find her, something bad might have happened,” Greg said, somewhat quieter to just the sideburned guard.

“We’ll find her, sir,” the guard said sympathetically. “I’m sure she’s alright.”

They began to put together a team immediately, a full set of royal guards and a few specialists of the mountains. Greg wanted to be on this team, but the guard he’d spoken to told him not to.

“The people need someone here,” he said. “If Lup wanted you here to protect our people, you need to stay here and calm them. Don’t let them know her horse came back alone. We’ll find her.”

Greg once again looked conflicted. He wanted to go looking for Lup, wanted to make sure she was safe. But this guard was right, he had to be a leader for the people right now. He had to calm their fears and keep them from panicking.

“I’ll go with, Your Highness,” a voice said behind them. When they turned, they saw Kravitz standing with a determined expression. He was dressed now in Arendelle’s colors because of the borrowed clothes to keep them all warm. “I will ensure that your fiance and the King return safely.”

“Thank you, Duke Wells,” Greg said, once again comforted by his friend. “I know I can trust you to look after them… Please hurry.”

“We will,” Kravitz said with a nod, walking swiftly to meet with the group of guards.

* * *

They were almost to the outpost when they saw a sled with two people on it. They’d already stopped a couple groups of travelers to check if Lup was with any of them, so they weren’t expecting much. However, as they approached and the sled stopped, a man came running to them with a shivering woman in his arms.

“Thank the gods!” the man yelled. Magnus stepped up to them and saw the woman in his arms was in fact Princess Lup. Her hair was starting to turn white and she was shivering intensely.

“Lup!” he shouted, carefully taking her from the man. “What in the gods’ names happened to you?!”

“T-Taako,” Lup stuttered through her tremors. “T-T-Taako h-hit me w-with s-some k-k-kind of b-blast- I th-think it’s f-f-freezing me…”

“Taako did this?” Magnus said in disbelief. “He would never-”

“He didn’t m-mean to,” she muttered, shivering violently as a new lock of her red hair turned white.

“We have to get you back to the castle,” Magnus said, terribly worried for his friend. “You need to see Merle.”

“Y-yes…” She curled in tighter on herself, clutching Magnus’s fur-lined cloak with ice cold hands.

Magnus ended up sitting with Lup on his lap next to the strange man on the sled. The guards agreed to turn back as well and meet them back at the castle. Getting Lup there first was of utmost importance. 

“What’s your name?” Magnus asked the man, trying to distract him since he seemed just as full of anxiety as everyone else.

“B-Barry,” the man answered, slightly surprised that Magnus had spoken to him. “Barry Bluejeans.”

“Thank you for keeping the Princess safe, Barry,” Magnus said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You have no idea how worried we were when her horse showed up without her on it.”

“I couldn’t keep her safe from…” Barry said, trailing off with a miserable expression.

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Magnus reassured. “Taako made a mistake, you kept Lup safe by bringing her back.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Barry asked, glancing at her nervously.

“Merle is… Merle is the kingdom’s best physician. If he can’t help her-… He can help her.” Magnus shook his head, shaking away the thought that Merle might not be able to save her from this. “He can help her, he’ll find a way to save her.”

Barry nodded, as if deciding to believe this as well.

* * *

Greg managed to keep the commotion quiet at the castle when Lup returned. The guard, apparently Magnus as Lup called him, carried her all the way to the family’s physician. To Greg’s frustration, he refused to let him and Magnus in while he assessed her condition.

Lup tried to calm their nerves by walking herself into the room, which did seem to make them both feel a little better. As soon as the door shut, though, she started shivering so hard that she almost fell over. Merle was there waiting to catch her, helping her lie down on the exam table.

“What happened,” he asked, though it sounded like he already knew.

“T-Taako, h-he h-h-hit me w-with s-something,” Lup said, barely able to stop shaking long enough to speak. 

“Where did it hit you?” Merle asked, holding his hands over her head.

“M-my ch-chest,” she answered, another wave of tremors reverberating out from her core.

Merle froze, eyes widening slightly. “Your chest?”

“Y-yes?” Lup looked up at him, worried. “I-is th-th-that b-bad?”

“… Princess, I fear we may not be able to-…”

Lup’s heart started hammering in her chest, making her shivering worse.

“I will do what I can, of course, but…” Merle started moving his hands again, green light igniting around them and pouring down over her torso. 

“M-Merle?” Lup said, trying to stay uncurled so he could work. 

“Yes, Princess?”

“H-has this h-h-happened b-before?” she asked, reaching up to catch a lock of her now white hair between her fingers.

“… Yes, Princess.” Merle figured it couldn’t possibly make matters much worse by telling her the truth. He lifted the block from her memories for her, watching her eyes clear.

“Your parents and I… We didn’t know what his magic would do to a person. We were all afraid of the effects. In order to protect you, I removed it from your mind. For the same reason, Taako began keeping his distance.”

“O-oh m-my god,” Lup whispered, staring at the ceiling as she remembered, fully and completely. She’d always known her brother had magic powers, she’d always loved him for them, was even jealous of them. “I-I’m g-g-gonna k-kick his a-ass.”

Merle chuckled. “I’ll help you. But to be serious, your brother is scared of hurting you. He already feels that he has hurt you. I’m not sure this is something he can control.”

Lup started to feel less like she was about to turn into a block of ice, a small warmth seeping back into her body as Merle worked. Then, she realized something. “He shouldn’t be trying to control it.”

“What?” Merle finished working and helped her sit up. “What do you mean?”

“I mean- you’ve always used your magic to heal, y-you don’t try to keep it locked up ins-side, do you?” Lup said, standing up. She felt sturdier than before. 

“Well… I suppose not.”

“Right! He’s spent his whole life trying to k-keep his p-power hidden and keep it under c-control, but- that’s not how it works!” She paced the room one hand on her hip and the other on her chin. “There has to be some way he can use it to thaw what he’s frozen.”

“How would he use his ice powers to melt anything?”

“Well, I don’t know, how do you use your healing powers to make plants die?” Lup asked, somewhat sarcastically while looking at the dead plants by the window.

“Hey, that’s because of the sudden cold!” he protested, but smiled at Lup’s change in attitude.

“But seriously, there has to be a way, he just hasn’t wanted to look for it yet.” Lup was sure this was true. Magic was just about completely unknown, the ways it worked and all the intricacies of it were not so much lost as they were just never known in the first place. Magic wasn’t even really a legend, it was just something everyone agreed wasn’t real. But now it was, so it had to work some way or another. There couldn’t just be no way to unfreeze what you’ve frozen, she reasoned. There must be some way to fix it.

Lup suddenly felt a wave of cold pour over her, from the top of her head down to her feet. It made her start shivering again and have to sit down, teeth chattering. All her hair was white by now, that hadn’t stopped changing.

“Princess, I have a theory about your heart,” Merle said, coming over to put a hand on her arm where she sat. “It hasn’t been tested, of course, but it’s possible that there might be something we can try to thaw it.”

“G-g-gimme y-your b-b-best sh-shot,” Lup chattered out, angry that she was feeling cold again.

“Again, it’s just a theory, but… The brain is connected to memory, and the memory is a fickle thing, easily changed. But the heart is far more… Let’s say, strong-willed. Your connections with people, your bonds, they’re the strongest connections we can form in this world. If the heart is freezing over, the only thing that can warm it is something stronger than Taako’s magic.”

Lup looked up at him from where she was curling in on herself. “…You’re not about to tell me that the cure to this is love.”

“I’m telling you that an act of true love, from someone you have a strong bond with, might just be able to overpower this magic.” Merle made a face that was halfway between a smile and a cringe. “It’s just a theory, but it’s all I’ve got, Princess. If that isn’t true, there may be nothing we can do.”

Lup stared at him, feeling the cold pulse in her chest every time her heart beat. Something odd was happening, she realized. Well, more odd than slowly freezing to death. She felt herself become… Apathetic. She had been with Barry and started to feel less and less worried about making it back to the castle. She had seen Magnus and wondered why he went out of his way to help her. She had seen even Merle and thought it didn’t matter one way or another what happened to her, that Merle shouldn’t bother. Even seeing some of the concerned faces of her people didn’t sway her feeling of apathy. It sparked fear in her chest that was quickly smothered in another wave of cold.

“Y-y-you m-might be r-right,” Lup said finally, moving to stand up. “I-I have an i-i-idea.”

Merle helped her walk out into the hall where Greg and Magnus were waiting, now with the addition of a third man that Lup recognized as Duke Wells of Goodcastle. As they approached, they all turned and stood with hopeful expressions.

“G-Greg,” Lup said, walking to him. She could feel the apathy biting at the edges of her mind. “You n-need to kiss me.”

“What?” he said, rightfully caught completely off guard.

“Uh,” Magnus muttered, turning away with Kravitz. “Let’s go make sure the people are alright.”

Kravitz said nothing, but looked like he was about to laugh.

“I c-can’t really e-explain b-b-but,” Lup said, pulling him toward a random room. “You n-need to k-k-kiss me.”

“Lup, I- what’s this about? Are you going to be okay?” he asked, letting himself be pulled into a room and sat on a couch. Lup walked to the fireplace, trembling as she lit it.

“O-only if you k-kiss m-me.” Lup sat next to him, instantly cuddling into his side for warmth.

Greg’s eyes widened, both at her statement and at the fact that she was freezing cold. “Why?”

“An a-act of t-t-true l-love,” Lup said, looking up at him. She stared into his eyes, big and blue and warm. His red hair made warmer by the light of the fire.

“An act of true love,” he repeated, looking down at her. It looked like little snowflakes were forming on her cheeks. “Only an act of true love can save you?”

“Y-yes.” Her final word came with her shutting her eyes. They were close enough that all Greg had to do was move forward half an inch.

He stayed completely still.

Lup eventually opened her eyes, confused.

“That’s very convenient,” Greg said, though it seemed like it was mostly to himself.

“What?”

“I won’t even have to do anything, then?” Greg started smiling now, standing from the couch and leaving Lup to fall awkwardly to the side.

“Greg?”

“Yes, I’ve got it now… You’ll freeze, then the guard will have no choice but to arrest Taako and… But how will I… Ah, okay, I have an idea…”

“G-Greg?” Lup said again, scrambling off the couch toward him as he closed the door.

“Yes, dove?” he said, turning to shove her to the ground. She shouted in surprise and expected him to continue hitting her, but he walked to the fire instead and poured water over it.

“S-stop!” she shouted, crawling over to him. “Wh-why are y-you d-d-doing this?!”

“Because,” Greg said, still smiling that horrible excited grin. He lifted her up and put her on the windowsill, opening the window so that a powerful cold breeze blew into the room, making her whole body shiver violently. “Now it will be even easier to kill both of you and claim Arendelle for myself.”

“Wh-what?!” Lup tried to get away from the window, but the new cold was making it hard to move, and she stumbled to the ground.

“You heard me when I introduced myself, didn’t you? I’m the twelfth son of the King of Goodcastle. Twelfth. I have nothing to my name, even if a handful of my brothers died from a plague, I still wouldn’t be next in line for the throne.” Greg stalked menacingly around her as she trembled on the floor. “I have to marry out if I want any kind of power. But then there’s the issue of where to go. Wave Echo Cove has a strict patriarchal monarchy, which means they’re off the list. Genovia is a strict matriarchal monarchy, so again, a bust. But Arendelle, you have more lax rules on who gets to be king or queen. You’re not strict on whether there needs to be a king or a queen, you just need someone within the family. It’s unfortunate that we will never be able to have a child, the main line will die with you and your brother. But don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your people.”

“N-no,” Lup whispered, watching him cross the room back to the door. “Y-you w-w-won’t get aw-way with th-this…”

“Oh Lup,” Greg said wistfully and blissfully, a happy smile on his face. “I already have.”

As the doors slammed, Lup felt herself shiver more as the wind blew into the room. She curled up on the floor, shaking violently and beginning to cry.

“H-help,” she whispered weakly. “H-h-help…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for this week! What's gonna happen next? Will Lup die in the castle without anyone noticing?! Will Taako get arrested for his sister's death?! And most importantly, did you catch that Princess Diaries reference?!?! Tune in next week, when I have to change the last sentence of this fic's summary because I miscounted the weeks and this will continue to update in December!   
> Also, pls let me know what you think! I love hearing from people and I appreciate every person who reads my fics!


	9. Besieged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a matter of days, the kingdom has lost both their monarchs. Greg steps up to take on their responsibilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy actual shit, I missed an update. Finals week is mad stupid, very sorry about missing this week's update!!

Magnus, Merle, and Kravitz were all talking in the main hall when Greg stumbled down the stairs, stunned. They and a few maids rushed to his side, alarmed.

“My Prince,” Kravitz asked, draping a blanket over his shoulders. “What happened?”

“P-Princess Lup,” Greg stammered, still staring at the ground in disbelief. “She… She’s dead…”

“What?!” Magnus exclaimed, making to go upstairs.

“N-no, Magnus,” Greg said with despair, weakly grabbing his arm. “You… You don’t want to… see her like that…”

Magnus looked horrified, falling to sit on the lowest stairs.

Merle’s hands were shaking as he put one on Greg’s leg. “Y-you couldn’t have done anything…”

“She was so cold…” Greg said, voice breaking. He covered his face, sobbing. “She was s-so cold and I- I had to try anything so I lit a fire, I turned away for just a moment and then she- she was g-gone…”

“Gods,” Kravitz breathed, hand over his heart.

“At least- a-at least we were able to s-say our vows…” Greg sobbed, pulling the blanket to wipe his eyes. “I can’t believe she’s…”

“What do we do now?” Magnus said quietly, still in shock.

“I…” Greg looked at a loss. “I don’t know… She was so sure that Taako would never hurt her… But because of him…”

“We have to find him,” Kravitz said, shivering at the fresh wind that blew in from the open doors. “We have to figure out what happened.”

“Y-yes…” Greg said, trying to get himself back together. He trembled with fresh sobs and Kravitz put a supportive hand on his shoulder. “I have to do what Lup would’ve wanted for her kingdom, for her brother. It may not have been a real ceremony, but… As her husband, I have to do right by her.”

The three around him nodded in agreement. Merle looked absolutely heartbroken. He’d just spoken to her moments ago.

“Send out the search team again,” Greg said suddenly, sniffling and wiping his eyes one last time. “We need to get Taako home safe, we need to find out what happened with them. Hopefully this can be resolved peacefully somehow, even with Lup gone…”

Magnus stood, nodding to Greg, having found a new purpose. He couldn’t bear the thought of his best friend being gone right now, so instead he threw himself back into his work. He had to get the king back to the castle.

Kravitz went with Magnus and Greg as they set off to bring the king home. They decided Greg shouldn’t be alone right now, that he should be around people he trusts and loves.

Merle stayed behind, finding himself unable to join in on the next mission. The kids he’d spent patching up all their lives, the two little troublemakers who would steal from their parents just because they could, who would visit his office and get their little hands on all his expensive and fragile equipment… One of them was gone now? A piece of his heart had been torn out, or at least it felt that way. 

Merle walked up the stairs slowly, lost in the memories of the twins and how happy they had been together. How far apart they’d drifted since then. With a sharp twist of guilt, he wondered if removing the block on her memories had made the process move faster. If it had, he would never forgive himself. What was worse, he would never know.

As he got closer to the room Greg and Lup had been in, he got colder and colder. That was odd, he realized, because Greg had said he lit a fire for her. The door was locked, which was even stranger. Why would he lock the door? To keep people from seeing Lup’s body? That would make sense to him… Still, Merle was a physician, and part of being a physician was tending to the dead.

Unlocking the door, he heard the rustle of movement, and as he opened it he saw Lup, alive and slowly freezing to death on the floor.

“Princess!” Merle exclaimed, rushing to her side and immediately administering the same treatment he’d given her earlier. “You’re alive!”

“G-Greg,” Lup whispered, barely able to move her lips. “Lying…!”

“I know, I see that now,” Merle said, angry. “He’s sent a team to retrieve your brother, he must be planning to kill him as well.”

“H-h-have to s-stop h-him,” she whispered, trembling as Merle continued to work. “Have to g-get to T-Taako f-f-first…”

“We’ll find him, but you need to stay here where the fire is,” Merle insisted, looking to the ice covering the apparently wet wood of the fireplace. “… That bastard.”

“N-need to get to Taako,” Lup said, more clearly and stronger than a moment ago. “We h-have to f-f-find him before Greg, h-he’s going to h-hurt him.”

“Alright,” Merle said reluctantly, finishing his treatment. “But how will we get there before him? They’ve already left.”

“Barry,” Lup said simply, pulling herself up. She was still stiff and cold, but she could move at least. “He h-has a s-sled and a reindeer, he’ll be f-f-faster than the guard on h-horses.”

“Let’s get moving then,” Merle said, taking her hand.

* * *

Greg and his team of guards and mountain experts made their way through the woods of the mountain, heading toward the center of the storm. When they came across the ice trees, they stopped for only a moment out of fear before continuing on, Greg leading the charge. They had to find King Taako, they couldn’t waste time being afraid of him.

When they came to the ice palace, they all had to take a moment to gawk at it. For a moment, Greg really did see the beauty of such power. It was a shame it had to be snuffed out.

They carried on, still cautious but not too worried. When they entered, Greg turned to his party.

“Don’t tell him that the Princess is dead,” he said quietly. “It will only upset him. I think his powers might be tied to his emotions, so we have to try and keep him calm.”

The group nodded silently, awaiting his orders.

“I think most of you should wait out here,” Greg said cautiously, looking back at the great staircase. “Magnus, Kravitz, I think you two should come with me. He might listen to you two.”

“Of course,” Magnus said instantly, stepping forward.

“Yes, My Prince,” Kravitz said, stepping forward too.

They advanced up the stairs, leaving the guards behind to wait somewhat impatiently in the front room.

As they entered the next room, moving further up another staircase, Greg called out for Taako.

“Taako!” Greg called, hand cupped around his mouth. His voice echoed throughout the palace. “Taako, please! Where are you?”

The answer came when they carefully entered a room at the end of a hall. The room was circular with a balcony at the other end of it, as if it could have been a bedroom or a study. Taako stood on that balcony, overlooking the path they’d taken to get to the palace. When they entered, he spun around, clearly frightened to see them there.

“What are you doing?” Taako asked, genuinely terrified. “You aren’t safe here!”

“Taako,” Magnus said, giving away too much emotion. He couldn’t help it, seeing Taako made his heart break knowing Lup was gone… “You have to come back.”

“No!” Taako groaned, turning away from them and clutching his hands to his chest. “No, I can’t. The storm will pass, I-I’m sure of it…”

“Taako,” Greg said, cautiously stepping forward. Taako instantly turned around again, feeling his step through the ice. “Please. Lup… Sh-she needs you there…”

“What happened to her?” Taako asked, looking hopeful.

“She’s…” Greg trailed off, unable to bring himself to tell the truth.

“Taako, we need to know what happened between you two,” Kravitz said, stepping forward boldly. Taako flinched back, but let him continue walking toward him. “If we can figure that out, whatever happens… The people might be able to accept you if you come back.”

Taako stared at him, hands trembling against his chest. “… Th-they see it as an act of treason, don’t they?”

Kravitz very slowly reached out a hand, stopping just before touching his shoulder. “They do. But if you could explain what happened… I’m sure it was an accident, Taako. You’re not a bad person. You haven’t even made bad choices. You’ve just… Made mistakes. Mistakes aren’t things you can’t come back from.”

Taako was locked in his gaze, so much so that he couldn’t even be surprised by Kravitz putting his hand down on his shoulder. The warmth, again, startled him out of his fears and anxieties.

“Come back to the kingdom,” Kravitz pleaded, pressing his thumb reassuringly into Taako’s shoulder. “Let them hear the truth from you. They deserve to know.”

He still held his hands to his chest, but Taako began to nod, still staring into Kravitz’s eyes. His gaze fell to the floor as he took a hesitant step forward. 

“We won’t let them hurt you,” Magnus promised suddenly, making Taako look up at him.

“Not a hair on your head, Your Highness,” Greg said assuredly.

Taako looked into each of their eyes, stopping again on Kravitz. “… Okay.”

* * *

They had to be smart about this. They couldn’t just parade around with a still-freezing princess. The palace didn’t think she was dead yet, just those most important to enacting Greg’s coup so far. Lup donned a plain cloak in order to not draw attention, and Merle helped her sneak out of the palace. Barry had been in the palace to keep warm, but had left to venture back to his own home after a while of no news. Barry’s house was up in the further hills of Arendelle, closer to the forest and the mountains.

Merle kept a constant stream of magic on Lup as they went through the blizzard. She knocked heavily on the door and shivered. When the door opened, Barry immediately gaped at them both.

“L-Lup!” he said. “What are you doing here?! What are you doing out in the cold?!”

Barry pulled them inside and shoved Lup toward the lit fire in the fireplace.

“W-we n-n-need to st-stop Greg,” Lup answered, mostly over her shoulder as she gravitated toward the fire. She nearly had her hands in it, but the ice over her fingers wasn’t melting.

“What?” Barry looked to Merle.

“He tried to kill her,” Merle supplied. “He locked her in a room with an open window, and had poured water over the fireplace.”

“What in the…” Barry breathed, running a hand through his hair. “But he seemed so…”

“Perfect,” Lup spat, literally shoving her frozen hands into the fire. The fire shrank slightly, but her hands finally started to thaw.

“Are you- I mean, are you sure it was Greg?” Barry asked helplessly.

“He was the only one with her, and then he claimed she froze to death.” Merle looked livid at the memory. “When I went to examine her body, the door was locked and the hallway was freezing. I found her just in time. We have to stop Greg from doing the same to the king.”

“O-okay,” Barry said, taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes. “So, why are you here, then? Shouldn’t you be out stopping Greg?”

“We n-need your s-sled,” Lup said, flexing her fingers after pulling them back out of the fire. “We h-have to get there f-fast.”

Barry turned around to protest, but when he saw her, her eyes were full of the hottest firey passion he’d ever seen. She was relentlessly trying to protect her brother. She was not going to take no for an answer. He remembered back when she’d yelled at him in the outpost. She would just commandeer the sled and reindeer. This was important, bigger than him, and certainly a chance to prevent regicide.

“Alright,” Barry said, squaring his shoulders and trying to look the most official he ever had, mostly to show her how seriously he was taking this. “You have my help.”

“Thank the gods,” Lup sighed, leaning to rest her head against the warmed stone of Barry’s fireplace. “Let’s get moving, then.”


	10. Whiteout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A final battle, a final flurry, a final act of true, pure love.

As they walked back through the ice woods, Taako kept his hands clutched against his chest. He felt small again, like he was a child on his way to get reprimanded by his parents. If only, he thought grimly. Looking at the men around him, he felt somewhat safe. He didn’t know what on earth was going on, why it had been Greg, Magnus, and Kravitz of all people who came to get him after what he did to Lup. And Lup… where was she? Was she okay? Surely Merle had found some way to keep her safe, just like when they were kids… Right?

“H-hey,” Taako said hesitantly, catching their attention. “Where’s Lup? Is she alright?”

The three men were silent for a moment, making Taako’s heart rate rise instantly. Wind flew around them, fresh snow falling from above. 

“She’s… at the castle.” Magnus’s curt answer did not ease his fears. 

“How is she?” he tried again, walking a little faster to be next to Magnus.

“D-don’t worry about it right now,” Kravitz said helplessly, glancing ahead at Greg for any help he might be able to give.

“Don’t worry-” Taako repeated, slowing down. “What happened to my sister?”

“You attacked her,” Greg said suddenly, startling everyone with his harsh tone. “You attacked her and she began to freeze from the inside out.”

Taako stood still, staring at him in disbelief.

“If you don’t come back and explain yourself,” Greg said, turning to glare at him. His eyes were hurt, grief-stricken. “Then nothing will ever be alright again.”

The wind suddenly howled around them, strong enough to break the smaller branches off the ice trees around them. Kravitz and Magnus shielded their eyes from the blowing snow, but Greg stood defiantly against it, still staring at Taako.

“What happened to her,” Taako demanded.

“We are not having this conversation here,” Greg said firmly.

Behind him, a swath of castle guards came through the woods, shielding their own eyes from the storm around them. Taako stared in shock. She’d put him in charge, she had to have. And if she’d put him in charge… She was dying. He was killing his sister.

“Come with us, don’t make this difficult,” Greg warned, and the guard stood at the ready. 

Taako was the enemy of his own kingdom. There was nothing and nowhere left for him. Slowly, he held his arms out.

“Don’t let me hurt anyone else,” he said weakly. She storm around them started to wane, flurries still fluttering around. The trees had turned white, like the ice itself had frozen over.

Two guards that Taako didn’t fully recognize came forward and put a pair of his old gloves on him, then gently took his arms and started leading him back to the castle. Greg took a moment to hang back and breathe. Kravitz put a hand on his arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze before heading off with everyone else. Magnus stared at the trees for a while before turning to leave as well.

Greg watched them leave, thinking about his next move. Once Taako was in the dungeon, he could kill him and make it look like he had attacked him somehow. Or perhaps he would just have to convince the people that he was incapable of remorse for killing his sister. One way or another, this king would fall.

* * *

Barry had fashioned an unconventional lantern for Lup to hold while they traveled. It was the shell of a normal lantern, but inside it had many twigs and pieces of kindling covered in oil to burn hotter than it should. She held it close to her chest as they set off on the sled. Lup convinced Merle to go back to the castle, so as not to cause undue panic. He left begrudgingly, but Barry promised to keep her safe.

Outside, the storm- blizzard, was only getting worse. Barry went as fast as they could while still being safe, heading for the forest. Since he lived in the hills it would take them longer, but Lup was fine with that. She seemed to be doing alright with his special lantern, thought he noticed the fire growing smaller and smaller the longer she held it.

“Is this guy going to try to hurt you again?” Barry asked over the wind, tugging his hood further over his face.

“Probably,” Lup said, tucking to keep the warmth against her. “B-but he’s w-w-with a bunch of c-castle g-guards. Once they s-s-see that I’m a-alive, they’ll h-handle it.”

“I hope you’re right.” Barry checked their path to make sure they could keep their speed. Unfortunately there seemed to be a fallen tree in their way, so he started to slow down. “Debris from the storm, it’ll only take a second to get around.”

Lup nodded. She looked so tired, Barry was worried she wasn’t going to make it…

He pulled them around the fallen tree and sped up again, still toward the woods. There was no telling what they were about to get themselves into. The future had never been so uncertain for Barry. What if Lup died? How could Taako recover from being the cause of his sister’s death? And if he couldn’t, would he unintentionally freeze Arendelle over forever? Would he accidentally freeze the people? 

Beside him, Lup gasped quietly. When he looked, the lantern was out. But not just that, it was starting to freeze just like she was.

“Shit,” Barry muttered, speeding them up. They had to get there fast, or else the princess really would be dead.

* * *

As they walked back, trudging through fresh snow, Greg was losing his patience. He knew he had to be patient, but he had started thinking of a quicker way to handle things. If he could agitate Taako again, force him into so much stress that he was an immediate threat, he could call the guard on him and no one would question him. Then it would be even faster, and he wouldn’t have to essentially use the same excuse twice.

“Quite the storm you’ve made,” Greg said casually, trying to sound like he’d finally calmed down from earlier. “Impressive, if you think about it.”

“Impressive…?” Taako mumbled, glancing at him. 

“I mean, sure!” Greg laughed. “Ice trees and ice palaces aside, just bringing us into the dead of winter so quickly… Impressive display of power.”

Taako stared at him. “I’m not trying to display any power.”

“Are you sure?” Greg asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Because if you were… It’s working. The diplomats are terrified.”

Kravitz glanced at Greg then, too, confused.

“T-terrified?” Taako repeated, stumbling his steps slightly. The guards tightened their hold on him.

“Oh yes,” Greg said, still trying to sound oblivious to Taako’s anxiety. “You get it though, since the fjord froze over they’re all worried about not being able to leave. But that’s just how people get, you know? Cabin fever.”

The wind around them had started to gain in speed and noise, and the guards further tightened their grip in response. Taako felt his chest tighten with them.

“My Prince,” Kravitz said gently. “Perhaps you could refrain from… speaking about this right now?”

Greg looked at him with feigned confusion. “Why not? I’m just having a conversation.”

Taako’s breathing had started quickening, suddenly feeling quite trapped between these guards. He writhed against their grip unintentionally, and they pulled him back abruptly.

“Don’t try anything!” one said, panicked.

“Y-yeah!” the other agreed, just as frazzled.

“Whoa,” Greg said, startled. “Calm down, don’t get rough with the king. He’s just worried, you know?”

The guards calmed down slightly, Taako felt relieved until Greg spoke again.

“I mean, going back to the kingdom after what he’s done to it, freezing it, lying to them all these years, and of course using his powers on his own sister- I mean come on, anyone would be nervous to return to that.”

Kravitz and Magnus both shared a look before staring in panicked confusion at Greg as he spoke.

Taako did not look less anxious, in fact he started looking more and more anxious, twisting and pulling against the guards holding him.

“L-let me go!” he shouted, pulling a hand free, the glove flying off into the now howling wind. 

“No, Taako, stop!” Greg shouted, cowering behind a tree as Taako pointed his hand in his direction. “P-put your hand down, now!”

“Please, let me go!” Taako shouted, accidentally freezing the sleeve of one of the guards. The guard shrieked, pulling away and letting him go.

“H-he tried to freeze me!” the guard shouted. “What if I start to freeze too?!”

The other guard let go of Taako out of fear, running to stand in front of Kravitz just in case.

Taako stumbled back, falling ungracefully into the snow and yelping. With his voice came a new gust of powerful wind that blew toward the others around him. He curled in on himself, his braid caught in the wind.

“No!” Kravitz yelled. “Taako, it’s okay!”

“No one is going to hurt you!” Magnus shouted over the wind, trying to walk toward Taako. As soon as he took a step, Taako’s eyes widened and a fresh gust knocked him on his butt.

“Stay away from me!” Taako shouted. “I’m dangerous!”

“No you’re no-!” Kravitz started, but Greg pushed past him.

“You’ve made that clear!” Greg shouted over the wind, voice booming. “You’re too dangerous for Arendelle, you’re destroying it!”

The blizzard only got worse, wind swirling in circles around Taako, who stood unsteadily against his own power.

“You’re a danger, you hurt your own sister!” Greg shouted, hand moving to his sword.

“I-I didn’t mean to!” Taako shouted back desperately, tears forming in his eyes.

“It doesn’t matter whether you meant to or not!” Greg spat angrily, slowly taking steps toward Taako. “You’re the one who froze her, you’re the one who killed her!”

Taako froze, eyes wide. Around them, everything else stopped too. The wind seemed to stop in its tracks, the snowflakes suddenly set into their spots in the air, the blue ice forming around Taako’s feet ceasing its encroachment, instead a white burst of permafrost exploding out from him and covering the trees. “Wh-what?”

“I-” Greg pretended to realize what he’d said. “I didn’t- I wasn’t going to tell you until after you’d explained yourself, but… She’d gone, Taako. She froze to death. Frozen solid.”

Taako kept staring as tears fell from his eyes, streaking down his cheeks. Greg approached slowly and cautiously.

“But it’s not too late to fix what you’ve done,” he said, gentler now. “You can still thaw Arendelle.”

“I-I can’t,” Taako whispered brokenly, still stunned. “I don’t- I don’t know how.”

Greg looked disappointed and sighed. “Well. Then I guess there’s only one option left.”

* * *

“There!” Barry shouted over the wind, startling Lup. She sat up, her hands frozen solid, and saw little lights far away from them through the blizzard. 

“H-h-hurry,” Lup whispered, her constant shivering only getting worse. 

The closer they got, the worse the storm got, winds whipping so hard that their hoods were pulled down. Barry didn’t want to slow down but it was getting to be impossible to see three feet ahead of them. 

“W-we have to stop, Lup!” Barry shouted. “I can walk you the rest of the way!”

“N-no!” Lup shouted back, stomping a foot weakly. “We w-w-won’t m-make it there in t—time!”

“Lup, it’s too dangerous to keep going!”

“I don’t care!” She screamed, eyes burning with anger. “I-I have to s-s-save my b-brother! This isn’t a-about th-the k-k-kingdom, my b-brother is i-in danger!”

Barry was conflicted, glancing at her and then at their now completely blind path. She was going to die either way. He sped them back up, putting his trust in his reindeer. 

They flew down the hill blindly, sometimes barely missing more fallen trees snapped in half by the storm. Lup kept her hands close to her chest, but they were already solid ice, blue and full of beautiful crystal designs. Designs that would be beautiful if they weren’t signaling her soon demise.

When they finally got to the point where there were too many trees, Lup agreed they had to continue on foot. Her feet were frozen, but her knees weren’t yet so she insisted on walking without Barry’s help. They stumbled through the snow toward where they’d last seen the lights, still quite a ways out from them. 

Then, suddenly, everything stopped. The wind and snow stood perfectly still, as if someone had paused the whole world.

“N-no,” Lup whispered, trudging faster through the snow. “S-something’s h-h-happened to h-him-!”

Barry followed her, trying his best to keep her from falling over.

Then they saw the group, clearer then they’d been able to before. White ice, like the blue ice itself had frozen over, covered the ground and the trees. The same white ice, Barry noted, that had crept through the ice palace after he’d hit Lup. There were a small group of guards, those who apparently hadn’t run off in fear. Magnus was there, frozen in surprise at Taako, standing in front of Duke Wells, who was staring in shock at Greg, and of course Greg. With his sword drawn, slowly walking toward Taako. Taako, who was himself frozen, unable to comprehend whatever had just been said to him.

Greg raised his sword, and Lup jolted forward out of Barry’s arms.

“No!” she screamed, running out from the trees and planting herself between Greg and Taako just in time.

As Greg’s sword swung down, Lup’s body began to solidify. Her face, previously covered in ice as though she had spent the night in a freezer, was now blue ice all the way through. Her clothes froze too, the transformation shooting through her body like a wave in the ocean, turning everything blue as it went. Her hands, already frozen, held up to stop the blade that collided with them. The blade of the sword instantly froze and shattered against her hands. With a wave of energy, Lup stood like a protective statue in front of her brother, knocking everyone back from him and into the snow, as well as turning the entire kingdom a bright antarctic white.

“Lup!” Taako shrieked, scrambling around her, his heart torn into a million pieces at the realization that she was alive, that she had protected him, and that she was gone for good now. “No no no no no…!”

His hands shook as he put them on her face, cold and unmoving, completely solid ice. Fresh tears came, hot and unwelcome against his freezing cold face. He tried to do something, anything to make her come back, he held her face and hand and tried to find some hidden ability he had that might be able to bring her back, but nothing came. It was quiet, save for his sobbing, and the others looked on in shock at the events that had just occurred. Eventually Taako simply held her, unwilling to let her go and unwilling to believe that she was truly gone. It had been his fault, he killed her, and even after that she still sacrificed herself for him. He should’ve spent more time with her, should’ve talking to her more, should’ve just fucking told her about his powers instead of keeping them bottled up inside all this time. But none of that could happen now. The choices they’d made were the choices they’d made, and nothing could change the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's this week! Next week is the LAST WEEK OF UPDATES!!! Wack!!! I think you guys are going to like what comes after that, it'll just be a while before that's finished... But don't fret, it is coming. So much is coming... Not soon at all, but it's coming I swear...  
> Thank you for reading! Pls leave a comment and tell me how I'm doing! Tell me how you're doing! Tell me if you're excited for the final week!! I love and appreciate every single one of you guys!!


	11. The Great Thaw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the dead of winter, there is always a blossoming spring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it... the final two chapters go up today... I hope everyone enjoyed reading! If you kept up with this fic, I hope the wait wasn't too terrible! Thank you so much for reading this, I love you all very much!! Now, on with the preposterously long ending to our story, where I take this story in my own hands completely because Frozen never really did make a whole lot of sense, did it...

Minutes. That’s how long it took before Taako moved from his sister. He stayed there, hugging her lifeless- statue, until he suddenly jolted away from her. The others were startled, worried something else catastrophic was about to happen, but were immediately confused when they saw what Taako had seen.  
A small orange light was shining bright in Lup’s crystalline chest, pulsing like a heartbeat. Taako hesitantly put a hand on Lup’s shoulder, and the light grew brighter, intensified by his touch. Soon the light was pulsating through her entire body, and so bright it was almost blinding.

Then, they all gasped.

The edges of Lup’s cloak and winter dress started to regain their color, almost like they were-

“Lup!” Taako shouted again, hugging her tightly like before. This caused the light to shine even brighter than before.

Her clothes, feet, and hands were thawed first. Then then light pulled itself in and radiated out of her chest, pushing the rest of the ice out onto the surface and thawing her completely.

She gasped as her face regained its color, stumbling back in Taako’s grasp.

“T-Taako!” she exclaimed, hugging him back. “Holy shit-!”

They fell back into the snow, laughing hysterically. To the shock and awe of them and the others still around them, the snow began to melt and give way to the still-green grass underneath. 

“Holy shit,” Taako said too, looking at the grass. “I think I know how to thaw the kingdom.”

Lup pulled him back into a hug, crushing him against her. “I knew you could do it!”

Suddenly a shadow loomed over them, but whoever it was was tackled before they could look up to see who it was.

“You’re under arrest!” Magnus shouted, holding Greg down by an arm twisted around his back. “For plots of regicide against the Kingdom of Arendelle!”

“I-I can’t believe,” Kravitz said, staring in horror at Greg. “That one of our own princes could have fallen so far from the gods’ teachings…”

“Lup, you’re okay!” Barry said excitedly, running over to the twins. 

“I guess so!” she responded between giggles. She still had Taako’s face squished against the side of her own.

“L-Lup we have to get up,” Taako said helplessly, though he still had his arms tightly around her as well. “Have to deal with the rest of the ice!”

“Ugh!” Lup groaned dramatically, throwing an arm over her face as she lie in the grass, letting Taako go. “Fine! Leave me to my little summer and fix the forever frost…”

“Fine!” Taako said playfully, shoving himself up and brushing off his clothes. “I will! Enjoy your soggy grass!”

Lup hopped up as he started to walk away, smiling wide at him. “Hey wait!”

Taako turned around and, for the first time in forever, let her grab his hand.

“Don’t leave without me anymore, okay?” she asked, squeezing his hand.

“I promise, never again,” Taako said, squeezing her hand back.

* * *

As they approached the kingdom, Taako felt further apprehension. What if they still didn’t trust him? What if they still thought he was dangerous? What if-

Lup’s grip on his hand tightened, and he looked up to see her staring at him with concern.

“It’s going to be okay, Koko,” she said, smiling at him gently. “You can thaw the kingdom now, it’s okay.”

Taako held her gaze, which served very well to steady him the longer he did. Then, he nodded.

The castle gates were open and guards waited with confused and shocked expressions as they walked closer.

“It’s the King and the Princess!” one shouted.

“Citizens of Arendelle,” Lup called, her voice projecting throughout the courtyard. People slowly came milling out the palace doors, curious and cautious. “There is no need to be afraid anymore. My brother has learned how to control his powers!”

“Show us proof!” someone shouted, and no one was surprised to see King Gundren Rockseeker shoving his way through the crowd. “There’s still snow everywhere!”  
Taako held Lup’s hand firmly and stepped forward. “It will only take a moment, I assure you.”

Still unsure of how it was happening, Taako sent his magic into Lup’s hand, and was met with a warmth that filled him. Around them, the snow began to melt and ice began to thaw, and soon the whole courtyard was free of snow. The people of Arendelle watched in amazement as their kingdom slowly thawed out, their homes unburied and crops freshly watered. Children looked disappointed, since winter was usually their favorite time of the year. The castle guard was relieved, not only that the kingdom was finally thawed out but also that their Royal Family was safe and back home.

There was much to do, and much to make up for, so the twins got to work immediately. Lup made sure every citizen had been properly taken care of and wouldn’t let anyone leave without a wrapped up hot meal to make up for the trouble. She even let the citizens keep the cloaks and blankets they had been given. She spoke with the castle guard about escorting those who needed escorts home, the sick and elderly, and she made sure every single person was checked by Merle (who, by the way, was ecstatic to see the twins were okay).

Taako had the difficult work of speaking to the diplomats and dignitaries from the other countries, apologizing profusely and promising this was never going to happen again. He told them he would make sure their ships had not been damaged by the fjord freezing over, and that if they had been he would pay for the damages. King Rockseeker claimed a hefty amount of damages to his ship, which Taako graciously agreed to pay. But not without pledging that Arendelle would never do business with his kingdom again.

“What?!” King Rockseeker shouted, glaring up at Taako from where he stood on the docks. “Are you a fool?!”

“No,” Taako answered simply, holding himself with the utmost grace as he looked down his nose at the king. “I’m quite a smart man, thank you for asking. I’m smart enough to know that you have been claiming false accidents on your cargo ships as an excuse to give us less of your resources than we agreed on.”

“You have no evidence-!”

“I have multiple witness accounts from your cargo ship crews who all claim to have gotten written and signed directives to hide or simply leave barrels of wine on the docks before setting off toward Arendelle, plus I have written documentation of multiple accounts of the dumping of barrel and crate contents in the fjord, which you know very well is sacred water.” Taako’s gaze was ice cold, pun intended. He barely held back a smile when he saw King Rockseeker pale and swallow, realizing he’d been caught. “I suggest we don’t take it so far as a tribunal, I think we can agree that our union is no longer mutually beneficial.”

King Rockseeker said nothing for a long moment, simply seething at the wood of the docks. Then, he looked up, keeping some amount of dignity as he said, “Yes, I also think this to be true.”

After Taako saw King Rockseeker’s ship off, he spoke to each diplomat and dignitary that had visited to make sure Arendelle was still in their good favor. When he got to the ship Greg and Kravitz had come on, the Queen of Peace, he caught Kravitz and the Arendelle guard loading Greg onto the ship in cuffs.

“Oh, King Yuno!” Kravitz said, smiling and walking down the board to meet him on the dock. “Don’t worry about our prince, he will be properly dealt with.”

“I have no doubt,” Taako said, smiling back at him. He watched him, unsure of what to say or do.

“Please, let us know if there’s anything else we can do for Arendelle,” Kravitz said, bowing slightly.

“You’ve done plenty,” Taako said, then thought better of himself, eyes widening. “I-I mean, not that- you guys didn’t do anything wrong, like your kingdom, it was just- it was just him, you know?”

Kravitz smiling wider, showing his teeth, as Taako stammered on. “Yes, Your Highness, I do know.”

“I-I meant more that, like,” Taako stuttered, mentally kicking himself at being so stupid as to keep himself locked up forever and never learn conversational skills. “You’ve done so much already, for my people. I couldn’t possibly ask you to do more.”

“Oh, well, I just did what I thought was best at the time,” Kravitz said, cheeks heating up. “I even took the prince’s side, I’m not sure how good that looks…”

“You kept my people safe,” Taako said sincerely. “You kept my sister safe. You did what you could to make sure Gregory didn’t escalate things. And out in the mountains, at my palace… You talked me down. You kept people safe from me when I had no way on controlling myself. I owe you so much, Kravitz.”

Kravitz’s face was bright red. “Y-you really don’t! It’s okay! Consider us even, then!”

Taako laughed, again a moment that Kravitz would hold deep in his heart. “Alright, fine. But don’t let this be the last I see of you.”

Surprised again, Kravitz stared at him. Taako realized again what he’d said and fumbled for an excuse.

“I-I mean, we’re planning a party! I- me and Lup want to throw a party! For the kingdom’s prosperity! Or something…” Taako turned away, crossing his arms and biting his lip. He would have to get some kind of tutor to teach him how to talk to boys he liked, this was ridiculous.

“Are you inviting the representatives of Goodcastle?” Kravitz asked, smiling.

“I-I’m inviting you,” Taako said, peeking at him. “It doesn’t have to be all… Stuffy.”

“I humbly accept your invitation,” Kravitz said, gently taking one of Taako’s hands and bowing to kiss it.

Taako felt a whole wave of emotion at the sensation. For so long, his hands had felt fabric and fabric alone. To have held so many hands and now having his hand kissed- it was a lot to handle.

“I look forward to the official invitation,” Kravitz said in absence of Taako responding, still smiling as he dropped his hand.

“Y-yeah,” Taako muttered, then shook his head slightly. “Yeah! I’ll uh, we’ll send an official letter with the date and everything…”

“I look forward to it.” Kravitz bowed slightly to him one last time before turning to board the ship again.

Taako watched him disappear behind the creaking wood of the ships, rubbing the back of his hand, the one Kravitz had kissed. He was gonna have to do some serious thinking on this whole day. And gods, what a day this had been.


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A party, a conversation, new horizons, putting names to faces, and a brand new mystery... Is this really the end?

The ballroom glittered with the ice decorations lining the walls, ballroom floor, and mezzanine level. Chandeliers made of ice glowed above the party-goers, illuminating the whole ballroom with a blueish hue. The entirety of the kingdom of Arendelle was in attendance, all wearing their best suits and dresses, and were happily spinning around the dance floor to the music played at one end of the room. There were a handful of dignitaries in attendance, namely the Eleventh Prince of Goodcastle, Graham Grimaldis, and Duke Kravitz Wells of Goodcastle. Taako and Lup were pleased to find out that Greg’s siblings didn’t share his vitriol for their own kingdom. Prince Graham promised them that Greg had been imprisoned for his crimes against Arendelle’s monarchy, and that they would do everything they could to right that wrong. 

Kravitz, since he was personally invited, had shown up with Graham and awkwardly followed him around most of the beginning of the night. It wasn’t that he wasn’t glad to be there, but he was finding it hard to remember why he was there at all. Taako may have felt he had done so much for Arendelle, but Kravitz didn’t think he had done that much, other than following Greg around perhaps. As the night went on, Graham spent his time around the other dignitaries and Kravitz humbly excused himself from those conversations. 

As he wandered over to the table with more drinks, he almost ran right into Lup.

“Whoa, sorry!” Lup exclaimed, grabbing his arm as if she’d actually hit him. 

“It’s quite alright,” Kravitz said, nodding to her. 

“Well, hey, actually, cool that I bumped into you,” Lup said, smiling wide. “Taako wants to talk to you, he’s by the table of chocolates!”

“O-oh, alright,” Kravitz said, cheeks heating up slightly. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

“No problem,” Lup said, grinning and holding back a laugh as he turned to look at the table where Taako was, then fixed his suit jacket and slowly made his way there.

Lup rolled her eyes. He had such an obvious crush on Taako, it was adorable. She turned back to her previously planned trajectory and set off again, pulling her sparkling red ball gown up to help her move faster. She ran to the other side of the ballroom, heading for Barry who was standing as far in the corner as he possibly could while not being able to fully hide. He was watching the band play beside him as Lup got closer and closer, finally looking over at the sound of her running right as she nearly tackled him in a hug.

“Barry!” she shouted happily. She pulled back from their hug to smile at him. “I’m so glad you made it to the party!”

“Y-yeah,” Barry muttered, still startled by her sudden appearance. 

“Are you enjoying yourself?” she asked, letting him go and fixing her dress to hang correctly again.

“Uh, yeah,” Barry said, clearly uncomfortable. “I’m uh… yes.”

“Very convincing,” Lup said, somewhat patronizing. “A few more tries and people might believe you.”

“Sorry,” Barry sighed. “I’m just not really one for parties.”

“That’s okay,” Lup said, moving to mimic his body language and lean against the wall, arms crossed, leg bent. “I appreciate you coming despite that.”

“Well, it was an important party for you guys,” Barry said, watching the band. When he turned back to her and saw her stance, he frowned at her. “Stop making fun of me.”

“Stop acting like a teenager then!” she laughed, pushing off from the wall. “Come dance with me!”

“I-I never learned how-” Barry started to protest, his words ignored as she grabbed his hand anyway, pulling him toward the dance floor as a new song started.

“I can lead, don’t even worry about it, babe!” she said, pulling him close to start their dance.

He was unable to respond, face red from the use of the nickname. He did his best to keep up with her, thankfully not stepping on her feet at all. 

“You’re a natural!” Lup told him, grinning wide again.

Barry found himself speechless, because his heart seemed to flutter in that moment. Lup, with her beautiful gown that puffed out on all sides, glittering against the lights above them, her coppery red hair pulled up into a tight bun, just her bangs and a few strategic loose strands framing her face, and her face, which was made up perfectly as usual, bright red lipstick, orange eyeshadow, eyes just barely lined with black, staring back at him as they spun around the ballroom floor, as if they were the only ones there. He still had barely known her a full day, but he realized in that moment that he liked her quite a bit. He definitely preferred her when she wasn’t slowly freezing to death.

Across the ballroom, Taako watched his sister reel in this total nerd she’d met like a month ago. It was better, he decided, than trying to marry the first man she’d ever met. At least they weren’t already engaged. He popped another chocolate in his mouth just as someone walked up next to him. When he realized that someone was the guest he had personally invited, he quickly (and painfully) swallowed the chocolate and turned to greet him.

“Duke Wells,” Taako said, channeling his mother’s most welcoming greetings as he always did. “I’m so glad you made it to the party.”

“Y-yes, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Your Highness,” Kravitz answered instantly, easily and comfortably defaulting to sounding official. “I’m very happy to be here and taking part in your kingdom’s festivities.”

Taako hummed, pleased, and took a sip of his wine. He needed some more if he was going to get through the rest of this party. “How was the trip here? Without issue, I hope…”

“Yes, the seas were kind to us,” Kravitz said. “The water always calms down the closer we get to the fjord.”

Taako nodded, looking back out at the dance floor. He felt alright dropping the professionalism about now. “… You’re not going to ask me to dance again, are you?”

Kravitz seemed to freeze for a moment, unsure if he should respond one way or another, before breaking into a smile. “No, not if you don’t want to. Though it would make me very happy to dance with you again…”

“Let’s see where we get three cups of wine from now,” Taako said, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. “It’s the only thing keeping me from an anxiety attack right now.”

“What are you anxious about?” Kravitz asked, moving just slightly closer to him, standing to face the dance floor like he was.

“Oh, golly,” Taako sighed, dramatically waving his glass at the party-goers. “Everything. Everyone. That guy, this lady, my sister. The ceiling collapsing, the candles melting the chandeliers- you know. Everything.”

“Hm,” Kravitz hummed, nodding. There were lots of safety concerns he could empathize with. Ever since Prince Gregory, Goodcastle was all about safety precautions. “I understand your fears, Your Highness, but… I think it would be somewhat helpful to remember that you have an incredibly capable castle guard.”

Taako nodded like he’d heard this before, probably earlier today. “Yes, yes, they’re all super buff and can keep us safe and whatever. But the anxiety’s still there, you know? It’s not usually something I can logic away. You tell it all that and it’s like ‘okay… but what if?’ you know?”

“I must admit, I do not,” Kravitz said, looking at him apologetically. Then, the song changed and he perked up. “But I do know that one of the best ways to help anxiety is to distract.”

Taako turned to him for an explanation, a confused expression on his face, before he saw Kravitz’s outstretched hand. “I thought I said three more cups!”

“It’s a waltz!” Kravitz argued back, still smiling wide. “May I please ask for this dance?”

“Ugh,” Taako groaned, setting his cup down and taking Kravitz’s hand. “Fine! But just this one.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Kravitz was smiling so much, Taako assumed it must hurt to be so happy. “I wouldn’t want to waste your time any more than that.”

“Hey wait,” Taako said, his tone suddenly changing. “You’re not wasting my time. You never have, not even once.”

Kravitz’s smile faltered, his face heating up again. He didn’t know how to respond.

“I quite enjoy the time I spend with you,” Taako said boldly, holding himself like a king again, as if giving himself the authority to be so forward. “I would even go so far as to say I’ll be sad when you have to leave.”

Kravitz found himself smiling again as they began to dance. “I think I will be sad when the time comes to leave as well.”

They fell into silence, appreciating the music as they waltzed together. Taako noticed that Lup and Barry had stepped off the dance floor for the waltz, and it actually made him somewhat mad. Lup’s dress was made to dazzle the crowd during dances like this, all the spinning would make it seem as though her gown were on fire.

Kravitz not only admired the music, but allowed himself to admire the way Taako looked far more comfortable tonight than at the party they’d met at. He still wore the dramatically different silhouette than what most kings wore, a fitted blue dress that hugged his hips and draped gently around his legs, visible through the knee-high slit along the left side. The bodice of the dress faded from the blue of the rest of it to white crystals, probably ice, at his slender shoulders. The arms were all white lace and crystal, hooked around his middle fingers. The cape of the dress was different than the one he’d worn before, this one was shorter and flowed elegantly around his waist. Kravitz realized he must’ve worn it so he could dance.

“What?” Taako asked, finally looking back at him quizzically. Even though Kravitz much preferred when Taako was happy, his slight frown and cocked eyebrow took nothing away from his beauty. His white hair was pulled back into a long braid down his back, his bangs seemingly freshly cut for the event. He wore a small amount of make up, just enough to enhance his natural beauty. 

“Nothing,” Kravitz said, smiling even brighter. “Lost in thought.”

“Mm, me too,” Taako said, looking back to where Lup was chatting with (but mostly at) Barry. “I think my sister has a crush on that man that helped save my life.”

“Oh?” If Kravitz was one thing more than a hopeless romantic, it was a gossip. He turned to see Lup and Barry, how Lup seemed to be coming on strong while Barry seemed shy yet enamored. “Oh. Oh my. What a couple, they would be.”

“Yes, what a couple indeed…” Taako muttered, eyes narrowing just before their view was cut off by another couple. “I’ll have to look into him.”

“Why?” Kravitz asked, chuckling.

“Her last boyfriend tried to kill us both,” Taako answered simply.

“Oh.” Kravitz blinked. “Oh right. Yeah, it probably wouldn’t hurt to look into him.”

“I’ll do it by tomorrow, probably,” Taako decided, nodding to himself. They finally finished their dance and walked back to the chocolates table. Taako sighed, somewhat contently. “And don’t worry, I’ve already done that research on you.”

Kravitz blinked again, caught off guard. “What?”

“I know where you live, where you get your money, how much land you own,” Taako explained, grabbing a fresh plate and putting his favorite chocolates on it. “You know, the works.”

“Why would you have to investigate me?” Kravitz asked, despite his heart jumping to conclusions.

Taako simply shrugged and popped a chocolate in his mouth.

* * *

After the party, Lup walked Barry as far as the town square, as far as she could justify walking him home. He thanked her for the invite and for spending most of the night with him. She waved it off and told him he was always welcome in the castle, for any reason, at any time, literally whenever. He laughed with her and told her goodnight, then walked toward the hills where he lived. Lup skipped back home, dramatically falling into Magnus’s arms and demanding she be carried to her bedroom, having been swept off her feet. Magnus rolled his eyes and tossed her over his shoulder, earning him a cackle.

The rest of the kingdom slowly made their way home, drunk and happy. Taako stood by to make sure they all made it out safely, smiling and thanking them all for coming. After he was sure they were all out, he returned to the ballroom and told the dignitaries that they were welcome to stay the night and leave in the morning after a hearty breakfast. They all happily obliged, stumbling drunk to their rooms as well. Prince Graham stopped to thank Taako for the invite and once again promised to do better for his kingdom than his brother had. Kravitz was about to excuse himself when Taako literally snapped at him and pointed to a room adjacent to the ballroom.

After a confused look and Taako pulling Graham along toward his guest room, Kravitz hesitantly entered the room Taako had pointed to. It was somewhat of a drawing room. There were three couches around a coffee table, all facing a fireplace, and a table on the other end of the room. The room was dark and cold, the fire unlit. Kravitz stood in the room, staring at the furniture, confused, until the door opened again.

Taako slipped into the room and smiled when he turned around. “Sorry for being weird, I just wanted to keep talking to you.”

Kravitz’s heart fluttered in his chest. “It’s alright, I’d prefer to keep talking with you as well.”

“So official,” Taako muttered, walking to the fireplace and holding out a hand. With a small blast of ice, crystals grew over the firewood and lit up with a bright blue light, lighting the room up just enough. “Sorry it’s not warm, but I have someone bringing tea soon.”

“That’s alright,” Kravitz said, somewhat distracted by the beautiful crystals. “I’m always so… blown away by your magic.”

“Well, you know,” Taako said awkwardly, waving a hand. “Still getting the hang of it, nothing fancy about it…”

“Nothing fancy?” Kravitz said, barely holding back from scoffing. “The decorations in the ballroom were positively lavish, don’t sell yourself short.”

“Bah,” Taako huffed, sitting unceremoniously on the couch to the right of the fireplace. “Whatever.”

Kravitz sat on the couch facing the fireplace, not really wanting to sit across from him since it would be an awkwardly far distance. “So what did you want to talk about?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Taako sighed, glad they’d moved on. “Anything really. What’s going on in your life right now?”

“Well, other than having met a magical monarch and finding out that one of my kingdom’s twelve princes tried to commit regicide,” Kravitz answered, earning a snort from Taako. “I’m in the process of applying to be an ambassador for Goodcastle.”

Taako looked up at him at that. “Really? Where?”

“I’m not sure yet, but I’ve just gotten so… I don’t know, tired of the countryside. I know I have a lot of land to look after, but it’s not like my sister couldn’t handle it. She’s wanted to for a while, and she has big plans for herself once she gets the funds and… I don’t know, I’ve wanted to travel a lot more recently.” Kravitz stared at his hands that he kept folded in his lap while he spoke, unsure of why he was suddenly so shy.

Taako watched him, a daring idea already popping into his head. “… You could be an ambassador for Goodcastle here.”

Kravitz slowly looked up at him, surprised. “I- I guess I could. I hadn’t thought about-”

“Oh please, that was a perfect setup!” Taako shouted suddenly, throwing up his hands in frustration. “You can’t possibly be serious! ‘I didn’t even think about it’ my ass! That was totally a setup to ask to be one here!”

Kravitz started laughing as Taako raged on, standing up from his seat.

“You literally even said you’ve wanted to travel more recently, are you just dense?!” he shouted, turning to point accusingly at Kravitz. “I see now, this was a setup to make me look eager! Oh, I see it now, you clever little-!”

Kravitz’s laughter was only building, and it was finally cracking Taako’s resolve, the corners of his mouth pulling up while he tried to keep pretending to be angry.

They both cut off abruptly when someone knocked on the door and slowly opened it.

“You tea, My King,” a butler said, a small smile on his face.

“R-right!” Taako said, standing up straight and all official-like again. “Thank you!”

“I’ll leave it here, sir,” the butler said, walking over and setting it down on the coffee table.

“Yes, good, thank you,” Taako said again, clearing his throat. “Um, also, could you please inform my adviser that we will be beginning the process of bringing our first ambassador to the kingdom?”

“Of course, My King,” the butler said, eyes widening at the assignment of such an important task. “My, an ambassador… From Goodcastle, sir?”

“Yes,” Taako said, fulling back to acting official. “Duke Wells of Goodcastle wished to help bolster our relation with the kingdom again, so we were talking about potential avenues for that.”

“Duke Wells, sir,” the butler said, bowing slightly to Kravitz. “What a fine ambassador you will be.”

“Thank you,” Kravitz said, face still red from laughing. 

“I shall be off to tell your adviser, sir,” the butler said, leaving excitedly and effectively distracted from the scene he’d walked in on.

“I’ve gotta be careful with you around,” Taako said as soon as he was gone, looking back at Kravitz with narrowed eyes. “Or else they’re gonna realize I’m not actually so kingly.”

“I think you’re well kingly enough,” Kravitz said, reaching to take one of the teacups and saucers. “Even when you’re shouting at me. Very kingly.”

Taako snorted and sat back down, also picking up his teacup. When he set it down, he took a beat before speaking again. “You know, I don’t know a damn thing about the process of accepting an ambassador. I learned about that when I was like fourteen and never needed that information again, so don’t be surprised if I fuck it up somehow.”

Kravitz laughed, barely keeping from spilling his tea. “I promise to make it as quick and painless as possible. Just another way Goodcastle might get back in your good graces.”

“They’re plenty in our good graces,” Taako insisted. “But I am glad you’ll be around more often.”

Kravitz stopped to look at him, once again surprised by his bold statement. A fresh smile bloomed over his face. “So am I.”

* * *

The next morning, Taako and Lup saw the foreign dignitaries off at the docks. Taako waved to the ship heading back to Goodcastle, smiling when Kravitz waved back from the deck of the ship. As they all took off, the twins watched for a while before turning to return to the castle. Lup skipped alongside Taako smiling at and saying hello to citizens they passed on the way.

As they reached the castle courtyard, the Royal Adviser and the Chief Royal Naval Officer were walking out of the palace to meet them.

“You’re really set on Duke Kravitz Wells being our first ever foreign ambassador, aren’t you?” the adviser, Lucretia, said with a long-suffering sigh.

“Yes!” Taako said, for the third time that day. “For the last time, yes! He’s trustable, he’s smart, he’s careful, he’s lived in Goodcastle his whole life, and he’s cute as hell!”

Lucretia rolled her eyes and turned back to their Naval Officer, Davenport. “We will send someone to iron out the details, then.”

“Good!” Taako said happily with a decisive clap. “Then why are you talking to me right now?”

“Well, as you may know, Chief Naval Officer Davenport just got back from an expedition north,” Lucretia said, following Taako and Lup inside, Davenport trailing behind them.

“Yes, the one where we were looking for more land or something?” Taako was half listening as he walked into the palace up to the nearest butler. “Can I get some tea?”

“Of course, My King,” the butler said, bowing and walking swiftly toward the kitchens.

“Uh, well, yes, we were surveying the forest to the north of us from the sea,” Davenport answered, stepping forward. “Sir, you may want to pay attention.”

Taako turned around and blinked at him. “Oh. Okay. Why, what’s going on?”

“Well, we seem to have found something,” Davenport said. Then, he glanced around and pursed his lips. “Let us go talk in the tactical office.”

Taako made a nervous face at Lup, who put her hand on his arm reassuringly as they started to follow Davenport and Lucretia.

In the tactical office, a large eight-sided table with a map draped over it stood in the middle of the room. There was a small table with two chairs next to the windows, whose curtains were always drawn. Davenport walked over and took a stool from where it was leaning on the wall and opened it, stepping up to look over the map.

Taako stood awkwardly on the other end of it, with Lup at his side. Lucretia walked to stand next to Davenport.

“We were investigating the forest to the north,” Davenport started, pointing to the forest that was just on the other end of the mountains. “And while we were doing so, we caught sight of some floating ice.”

“Well, that’s not weird,” Taako said. “It’s summer, ice always breaks off from the glaciers in the summer.”

“We thought nothing of it at the time,” Davenport continued, taking a pencil from Lucretia and drawing a line to show the course they took. “But after returning and learning of your powers, sir, we realized that your ice was… Strikingly similar to the ice we had seen.”

“What?” Taako stared at him like he was crazy. “It’s ice! Of course it looks similar!”

“Your Highness,” Lucretia said gently, holding out a small piece of paper with a drawing on it. “I think you’ll want to hear this.”

“Wha-” Taako started to say again, but stopped when he saw the drawing. It was a block of ice floating in water, like any glacial ice would be this time of year, but it was colored in with bright blue that seemed to glow.

“That ice wasn’t just the normal glacial blue, Your Highness,” Davenport said, finally drawing a circle around the usual spot the glaciers were, though they hadn’t properly mapped the area yet. “They were glowing with your same power, sir.”

Taako and Lup stared at the drawing, mouths hanging open. Lup looked up first.

“What does this mean?” she asked, still stunned at this revelation.

“We’re not sure,” Lucretia said, looking nervously at the map. “But we think it warrants another expedition north.”

“I-” Taako was still in shock. “I guess so. Damn. What does that even mean?”

“It could be the source of your magic,” Davenport said, standing tall and official.

“Or it could be a coincidence,” Lucretia said, her tone a warning to Davenport. “If we can investigate further, we might be able to find out for sure.”

“I mean- yes! Let’s do it! Right away!” Taako said, putting the drawing down to look back at Davenport and Lucretia.

“Well, hold on,” Lucretia said, glancing at Davenport. “We can’t sail again until a month from now.”

“What? Why?” Lup asked.

“It’s a part of our navy’s policies,” Davenport sighed, seemingly upset that Lucretia was right. “We have to allow our officers to have a month to readjust and rest.”

“But in a month it’ll be too cold!” Lup protested. “Just use another team of officers!”

“If we did that, Davenport wouldn’t be able to be the captain,” Lucretia said. “We may have to wait until next year to go on this expedition.”

“Unless…” Davenport said, his eyes alight with an idea.

“Unless?” Lup and Taako said together, leaning in. 

“You could keep us safe from the cold, couldn’t you?” Davenport said to Taako, smiling.

“Oh!” Taako exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table. “I could!”

“Wait, what? No!” Lup protested, at the same time that Lucretia said, “Absolutely not.”

“Why not?” Taako asked, pouting at Lucretia.

“Because, you just became king, you can’t leave a month after being crowned, much less on an expedition we can’t tell the people about!” she said.

“My father was a Naval Officer, why shouldn’t I be one too?” Taako asked, standing tall and trying to channel his father’s authority.

“Taako,” Lup said quietly, making him falter. “Mother and father… They died on a trip overseas…”

“But that was south, where the water gets warm and-!” Taako argued, turning to her. He was silenced by his sister’s glare.

“It doesn’t matter. The people haven’t forgotten that. Lucretia’s right, it’s too early. If you go on a mission overseas, the people will be anxious.” Lup put a gentle hand on his arm, unable to look him in the eye. Then, she seemed to perk up slightly. “… But I could go.”

Everyone turned to look at her.

“You could?” Taako asked, searching her face.

Lup’s expression was determined when she lifted her head to look at him. “This could be something big. One of us should definitely go, but it can’t be you, so it has to be me.”

“But what about the cold?” Taako asked, taking her hands. “You don’t have magic, you all could freeze.”

“We really can’t leave earlier?” Lup asked, turning to Davenport.

“Not with me as captain, which I would highly suggest…” he said, trailing off to think. “Though, I do know someone almost as capable as I am. He isn’t as familiar with the North Sea as I am, but he’s a promising captain.”

“Really?” Lup said excitedly. “We could leave earlier and not have to worry about the cold!”

“Hold on, who?” Lucretia interrupted, turning to Davenport.

“Captain Avi, the one I’ve been training,” he answered, looking quite proud of himself.

“Oh,” Lucretia’s expression cleared and she looked off toward the wall. “Yes, yes, I agree, he would be the best choice…”

“So we’re in agreement!” Davenport said, clapping his hands together to grasp. “Once we finalize the plans for the mission, we can set sail as early as two weeks from now!”

“Wait, we’re in agreement?” Taako said helplessly, still gripping Lup’s hands tight.

“Taako, it’ll be okay,” Lup reassured. “I know the people will still be anxious with me gone, but… They need to be able to be comfortable on the waters, or else no one will ever be able to go to our allied kingdoms, like Goodcastle. Our people can’t live in fear of our waters just because of an accident so long ago.”

Taako looked into his sister’s eyes, a blue tint similar to his own. Then he sighed, dropping his gaze to their joined hands. “Alright, you’re right. But come back safe, okay?”

“We’ll be back before you know it,” she promised, hugging him tight.

“Wonderful!” Davenport exclaimed. “Let’s have a celebratory lunch!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for the chapter summary, it's not the end. I mean, it's the end of this fic, but I'm currently writing the second one loosely based on the Frozen 2 plot (there were many rewrites). Get excited for that shit!  
> Also THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!! I love and appreciate every single one of you! If you kept up with this fic as it was being posted, thank you for sticking around! If you're reading this once it's all posted, thank you too! I hope everyone liked it, I worked very hard on it. The next one is going to be even better. I hope to start posting it around Christmas this year, but I'm wary of making any solid promises because Frozen 2 needed SO MANY rewrites. In any case, look out for the next one! And thank you again!! I can't thank y'all enough!!


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